


And I am the Knight in Shining Armor,

by Skylarium_Rose



Series: Princely Matters [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura & Lance (Voltron) are Siblings, Altean Lance (Voltron), Altean Prince Lance (Voltron), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epic Friendship w/ Team Punk & Hance, Epic Shance Romance, Gen, M/M, Missing Scenes, Sentient Voltron Lions, Team Voltron Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-09 05:53:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 83,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16444094
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylarium_Rose/pseuds/Skylarium_Rose
Summary: The struggles of war are always present to Lance. How could they not with how long this war has raged. Friends lost, lives changed, and decision that can haunt you. Lance fears he will soon be accustom to it, but his family and friends have kept him afloat and he does the same for them, to filling time with laughter or a shoulder to cry on. But with a new relationship to ignore some of the pain and a new ally to curbing the violence everything seems to be going right for the Defenders of the Universe.But nothing is ever that easy.Stories of Altean Lance battling against even fate to save the ones he loves.





	1. Haunting of the Paladins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Change for the better still hurts when there are those that had to leave for you to succeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder:  
> Lion 'Genders' are Black = they // Red = he // Green = her // Blue = her // Yellow = her
> 
> Altean Measurements are Kilometer = k'qell // Meter = t'qell // Centimeter = h'qell // Millimeter = v'qell // Micrometer = de'qell // Nanometer = tri'qell

The planet of Tiow was a hazy, windy, and dreary place. And yet this unassuming planet had its own certain beauty and charm about itself.

Because the sun of the system didn't make it through the thick atmosphere of swirling clouds it always looked dour on the surface, but the planet was close enough for the sun's warmth. Though not a lot of it got through causing all the plants on the surface to be small mosses and lichens. The biggest trees were no more than the sizes of shrubs. The terrain was also very mountainous adding to the already wild weather patterns as the peaks created their own small climates. The people who used to live here built their homes in the side of these great mountains and hills, possibly for the rocks' resistance to the weather and to be closer to their resources in the form of rainwater or the snow as well as finding nutrients in the soft brush. Though they were long gone now and one such large dwelling was now a Blade of Marmora base, what fascinated Lance about the planet's dwellings the most were the windows. Every chiseled out window along the outer walkways was done at such an angle that when the wind flowed over and through them it created a symphony of sounds that was something near to music. The only downside was that the wind was still coming through and being so high up it was quite brisk making Lance regret not wearing his armor or at least a full shirt. But he won't act innocent and say he didn't feel a sparkle of joy at his cape blowing almost nobly in the wind as he walked down the hall.

_Shiro would have smiled and shook his head if I told him._

Lance pauses and the winds happen to change direction causing the windows to make a sorrowful noise that echoes down the empty and dim hallway. It had been six phoebs and everything still haunts and taunts Lance.

_In more ways than one._

But he was here to work with the Marmoraites, not get lost in his own sadness. Wrapping his cape around him as a particularly strong and chilly gust of wind flows down the corridor Lance sighs deeply and continues down it looking for an elusive Galra. Even though they had formed alliance with the Blade of Marmora Allura was still hesitant to the idea, especially telling them any battle plans. But Lance wasn't against it as much, so most dealing between them was done by him. Armed with star charts, diplomacy, and his own charm in hand he, and usually Keith, would be the ones to have direct meetings to figure out what was needed to attack and free planets. They had been doing this for phoebs after their main attack on Central Command and we're focusing most of their efforts on the most recently conquered planets in the last 3,000 to 1,000 years.

"Kolivan." Lance calls over the lilting notes of the wind as he walks up to the Commander that seemed to be in a hurry. 

He looks back almost surprised that Lance had found him, but he stops.

"Prince A'lanor," Kolivan dips his head in deference, "I apologize, but I have no time to discuss the farther plans for the dismantling of the empire."

When the meetings ended and immediate attacks weren't planned Lance and Kolivan would have their own meetings to find a way to make sure the empire or any other could never rise up, but not at the cost of innocents that live their lives on the oldest occupied planets. That have lives apart from their war-loving military and they shouldn't be disturbed. It was a secret side project he was working on because while Allura was very good with more forceful and hard re-negotiations Lance favored and flourished in soft and re-establishing negotiations and their coalition was essentially taking the universe apart as the inhabitants knew it. And regardless if they wanted it or not everyone's eyes would be on Allura – and to a lesser extent him. They would be looking for guidance when everything was finish as it couldn't possibly be easy for them to have a leader than none at all. Allura had already alluded to this problem more than once when they were going over the paperwork part of fighting and Lance just wanted to ease the burden of this anyway he could. He hoped this draft for an alliance, not an empire, would be enough for Allura to tweak and help the universe relearn how to rely on each other instead of one entity.

"I know. I just wanted to say something quick," Kolivan turns slowly and nods for him to continue, "I don't know if we've ever said this..... but thank you for still working with us despite the odds against you."

"The freedom of others is more important than our own personal feelings." He responses coolly, but Lance sees his features smooth out.

"Yeah, but you're a person too and I can see that the sneers still affect you. Give it enough time and everything will work out. They'll be able to see that for themselves. We have and I think our authority's pretty solid." Lance says sincerely hoping the commander wouldn't refute him.

Kolivan's head dips down again, not in acknowledgment, but in obvious shock.

"You are much too kind Prince A'lanor. Even after all we've done." He says softly and if not for his ears Lance is sure he wouldn't have heard him over the wind.

"You didn't do it so I have nothing to be upset about with you. Besides you're doing great work now." Lance tries to assuage worries.

The Galra commander looks up surprised again, but before he could speak –

"Lance!"

Turning towards the shout, Keith is standing at the bend in the walkway with his hair blowing wildly around his face and a frown etched onto his lips. Lance waves him away and turns to Kolivan giving him a apologetic smile. 

"Sorry. I apparently have to go. See you and the Marmorites at the rendezvous for Puig in three quintants." He says before turning around and walking up to the Red Paladin that was, honest to Ancients, tapping his foot at him. Lance could already tell the flight back to the Castle was going to be long because Keith was going to be silent the whole time. 

* * *

"And they're totally ready to join the fight against the Galra." Lance explains how their most recent trip to the Paglium quadrant went.

"Nice!" Pidge says with a smile.

"We brought back a few of their leaders to join the coalition too." Hunk adds on turning to Allura who beams at him.

"That's splendid. Excellent work you two!"

"No problem. It's all apart of being Paladins of Voltron." Lance smiles as he leans back against the couch's cushions.

But Hunk stops smiling at that, turning to Allura, "That does bring up a new issue. They all want to see Voltron, only we don't really have Voltron anymore." 

The reason why they couldn't form Voltron brought everyone to silence as they reflected on their lost friend. Lost family. Lost love. 

"We don't have Shiro anymore, either. Everyone seems to have forgotten that." Keith grumbles from his spot all the way down at the end of the couch were he could brood silently.

Lance wants to say something, but since Shiro's disappearance whatever small friendship they had developed fell through. But Allura speaks up, but with a less than happy topic.

"It may be difficult for us all to accept," And she looks almost sick as she says the next sentence, "but it is time to think about finding a new pilot for the Black Lion." She finishes quietly.

Everyone turns to look at her in shock. Replacing... Shiro. It couldn't be done and the thought of it even if it was the right decision rankled something deep in Lance. But not as much as Keith.

"No! I'm going to find him!" Keith stands, shaking in place as he holds in his physical anger, "Shiro is the one person who never gave up on me. I won't give up on him!" He yells with finality as he looks at them, daring them to say otherwise.

Sadly, Pidge takes the bait, "Keith it might be time you gave up the search. We didn't find anything six months ago and you —"

"That's rich coming from you!" Keith hiss as he focuses in on Pidge, even stalking towards her, "You're still looking for your family, hypocrite." 

Lance doesn't see Pidge's response and he doesn't want to because honestly if these two get into it with words it will escalate into violence faster than they'll want. Lance gets up and stands in between the advancing Red Paladin and the seated Green Paladin.

"Hey Keith. No." 

"That was really out of line." Hunk agrees as he stands too, putting himself at an angle so if anything happens Allura would be fine.

"At least I have leads they're alive." Pidge spits back with such vile intent. And Lance is sure he's never heard her sound like that ever.

Lance watches in fear as Keith's face twist and contorts into fury as he steps closer and closer to the interior of the couch.

"Pidge, come on." Hunk says.

Lance would look back at her, but he didn't know what Keith would do if he looked away.

"Now of all times isn't the time to be fighting. He wouldn't have wanted that." Lance tries to placid everyone, but looks directly at Keith as he says it. 

"That's big coming from you." And it seems like Keith has made it his mission to be angry at everyone.

Sighing, Lance asks mostly unperturbed, "What is that?"

"You've been acting like he never existed as your coping mechanism." 

It felt like Keith had just plunged his blade right through Lance's heart with that. Accusing him of not feeling the burning pain and crushing emptiness of not seeing Shiro in the training deck with a determined look on his brow as he observed their training or on the bridge watching the stars go pass with a look that expressed joy and sometimes betrayed pain. That Lance was fine with not being able to hear Shiro's smooth warm voice wrapping around him or the loud and sweet sound of his laughter. And that Lance didn't miss the soft looks that were just for Lance and Lance alone, along with the stolen moments they shared when they were alone. That Lance didn't lose a bit of his heart everyday Keith came back without any news. That he hadn't lost someone that he thought – No. Knew – he could truly love.

"Excuse me?" He tersely whispers.

"Any time you help liberate a planet or are with the Blade you flirt and smile and laugh. Acting like you didn't have feelings for him." Keith says equally pissed off.

Lance's eyes widen in confusion before narrowing in contempt, "I'm just being nice and civil. That's the first rule of diplomacy, which is something you lack completely." Lance says softly trying to keep himself calm. Though it was a losing battle.

"That isn't what it looks like to me." Keith throws back as he crosses his arms and stands there looking disappointed with him.

"You have a lot of nerve saying that especially when your coping mechanism is acting like the universe has ended now that he's gone is. He is Keith. Okay, Shi - he's gone maybe for just right now..... maybe forever, but searching random corners without a plan and not helping what he sacrificed to achieve is making it harder to show a united front. And I doubt he'd want you acting like this, lashing out at —"

But Keith cuts him off with a frustrated shout, "How would you know? Did you ever even care about him?"

The air seems to be sucked out of the room as the others harshly inhale, but Lance pays them no mind. And even as Keith seems to realize what he said it didn't matter as something snaps in Lance.

"Of course I did! I still do! You aren't the only one who's hurting! You aren't the only one who's missing him!" Lance screams rushing into Keith's space.

Rage pulsing through him as he looms over him and he's surprised with himself that he didn't strike the other Paladin after he shoves him into the couch. But as quickly as the anger was there it was snuff out. Why? Lance isn't sure, but he does know he doesn't have the energy to have this fight.

"We all do..." He says softly before adding his reason why, voice quivering the whole time with lovelorn emotions, "I never felt more important or... or loved than when I was with him. He meant the world to me..... He'll always will."

Lance looks up – not realizing he had turned his gaze away – and is met with Keith's wide ultra violet eyes. Eyes fill with pain that Lance had seen so many times before on other Alteans during the beginning of the war.

"I grew up with my dad and Matt telling me stories about him," Pidge whispers and Lance turns towards her, as does everyone else, "He was a legend at our house."

"The guy taught me everything I know about being a pilot. Which isn't much, but that's more on me." Hunk adds with a small smile directed at Keith.

"He was a great listener and one of the sweetest beings I've ever meet." Allura speaks up as she walks over to them.

Turning back to Keith, he had ducked his head down to his chest and his hands were gripping his arms tightly, like he was trying to protect himself.

"You're not alone. We're all right there with you. But you know that he would be the first one to tell us that we have to move on." Lance says quietly, but the words feel heavy and sour on his tongue as he couldn't let the man go even if he tried. And he never planned to.

"And Keith, I know exactly how you feel. But please understand our mission is bigger than any one individual. Even those who are completely irreplaceable."  Allura says before walking over to sit by Keith and pulling him into a hug.

He tenses up and stays that way for a few ticks before he's relaxing and leaning into Allura, resting his head on her shoulder and hiding his face in her neck looking altogether very small. When he finally moves out of her reach he doesn't look at them straight away, but they can all see how torn and hurt he looks with everything happening.

"I know – I know you're right. I just... I just don't want to believe it's true 'til I see it for myself." He answers solemnly.

"We never truly said you should stop searching, just that changes are needed." Allura says as she lays a comforting hand on his back.

He nods, but turns to the rest of them and with a determined gaze set in his eyes he says, "Allura's right. We can't mess around anymore. After the meeting we, we need to figure out how to reform Voltron."

* * *

After their meeting with the planet's from the Paglium quadrant – which they had awkwardly lied that they hadn't been able to form Voltron because of repairs from the main battle phoebs ago, but not to worry because they would be able in a movement or two – they all scrambled into the main elevator to take them to the hangers.

As they take the car down to the Black Lion's hanger Pidge looks over at him and his sister curiously.

"Allura, when we came here, you told me I would fly the Green Lion, and I thought there was no way. But then, I found it and I flew it. And then, Hunk flew the Yellow Lion, and he's not even a pilot. In fact, you told everyone who would pilot which lion." Pidge asks and it has the other Humans turning around to look questioningly at her too.

Lance wasn't sure how to explain it except that they did know, but he couldn't even say that much as Hunk hopped in and started asking questions as well.

"Yeah, how did you do that? Did we ever find out how you did that? Can you do that now?"

Allura smiles wistfully and shakes her head 'no', "Sadly, no. When you arrived at the Castle, I immediately recognized the special qualities in each of you. But I don't know how to search the entire universe for a new Paladin. That is why we are trying with us first before making other plans."

"Keith, you piloted the Black Lion when you had to save Shiro. Perhaps you're the one." Coran points out and Lance zeros in on Keith with shock because to pilot Black who could be more picky than Red and Blue combined, this was something special.

"Keith what?" Lance ask incredulously.

"I don't know," Pidge voices sounding no way convinced by this new information, "I mean we all have our thing. Keith's the loner. I'm the brain. Hunk's the nice one. Allura's the decision maker. Coran's the wise old guy —"

"Not old." Coran interjects with a horribly disguised cough.

"The wise youngish guy," Pidge amends with a smirk and a roll of her eyes, "And Lance is the mom friend or caregiver, if you prefer."

"I prefer sharpshooter and actually Prince Charming, but your title works too." He says posing with his hand to his chest, which Pidge playfully knocks down with a deep sigh, "But I have to say Keith, you aren't the first choice —"

"I don't want to be the leader! That's just what Shiro wanted!" Keith shouts back in anger before his eyes widen with fear as he knows what he implied and looks away.

"What are you talking about?" Hunk asks.

"Nothing." He answers quickly.

"Shiro wanted you to be his successor, didn't he?" Lance answers for them.

Lance folded his arms and waits for a response as he thought it over. Keith had his temper, which meant he may not listen to reason or be able to hand over the reins when needed. But maybe —

"So what?" Keith shouts and has Lance holds his hands out in surrender to stop Keith from lashing out, "You want the job so badly, you can have it!" 

"Now, now, hang on. I've called the head from the very beginning." Hunk calls out looking to him and Allura to back him up.

"Hunk that isn't —" Allura tries, but Pidge cuts her off.

"What about me? I picked up on the radio waves that led us to Voltron in the first place." 

Before any other reasons are yelled Coran whistles loudly and shrilly making everyone wince, but at least there was quiet.

"Hold your gazurgas, everyone! It's not our decision to make." He says sternly.

"It's the Lions." Lance says.

"Lance is right." Allura backs him up.

"Conveniently." Keith whispers petulantly as the elevator comes to a stop.

"We must all present ourselves to the Black Lion to see who will bear this glorious burden." Allura says before striding out of the elevator leaving everyone behind.

Coran and Lance watch Allura leave in surprise before jogging to catch up with her.

"What? You, Princess?" Coran asks, concern written all over his face.

She turns around to look at them with a stern gaze, "Father created Voltron. How can I allow others, my own brother, to risk their lives in battle and not be prepared to do so myself? I must try."

Lance has to fight down the smile that came with the idea of Allura fighting side by side with him and simply says, "You should. I think it's a great idea."

But as they stand in front of Black's crumpled form the realism of the title of the Head of Voltron comes into full form and Lance doesn't know who will take the title, but he hope it isn't him. He has Blue and the only thing he wants from Black is to tell him what happened to Shiro.

"So, who goes first?" Hunk asks as he looks up at Black's darken form.

"Should we draw straws?" Pidge questions.

Which is nothing Lance has ever heard of. Would you choose the best drawer or the worst drawer? And why straws? They're simple enough to draw, which means everyone could draw one. Right?

"I have it! I'm thinking of a number between one and fifty! Allura, you go first, Pidge is second, and then the others." Coran reports happily.

"Wait, don't we have to guess the number?" Hunk asks confused.

"But I already know the number?" Coran says back equally confused.

"Allura, just go." Pidge sighs as she shakes her head in disbelief.

After Pidge's turn Coran has to coax Hunk into trying, which was quite funny when he gave his reasons for his short trial being he wanted to be the leader with Yellow. But too soon Coran is kicking Hunk out of the Lion and it's Lance's turn. When he sits down the chair does slide up, but only the underlying lights and parts of the dashboard illuminate. None of the scanners or screens are shown. He knows outside Black's eyes have lit up and his team probably thinks he's done it, but it was just Black recognizing him as a ward of sorts. 

"Hmm you're going to talk to me now huh? You've been quiet forever and now you think —"

There's a bright flash of purple and it doesn't disoriented him for as long as he thought. And soon he seems to be floating through the memories Black has keep of Shiro's time piloting them and just other memories they could keep. Ones of Shiro talking with Keith, planning missions with Allura, helping Hunk and Pidge with their their inventions, and listening to Coran. But most of them were of him. Their times on the bridge, working out together, going on missions, just sitting and talking the quintant away, Shiro laughing at his stories or shaking his head at his jokes, carrying him to his room.

And then they change to more personal moments that Lance hadn't been fully aware of, like when Shiro would press a kiss to his forehead after tucking him in at night.

Shiro also looking upset with himself, muttering about how he was too scared to tell Lance his feelings after he walked him to his room. 

Shiro gladly accepting a hug from Lance when he finds Shiro in the aftermath of one of his nightmares.

How Shiro would just watch him as he did regular things throughout the quintant, but couldn't stop smiling at him.

Shiro in Lance's space when he was teaching him how to milk Kalter and staying there even afterwards, caressing his thigh and leaning gently into his back as Lance leans back into his chest.

The knightly kiss Shiro gave him in the hanger.

And their first kiss near the giant Teludav and all the ones after it on the way to his room.

Their last kiss that they shared before they left his room the next quintant to take on Zarkon's fleet.

And then one of the memory Shiros turns around to look right at him, gazing at him with so much love. Just like the morning of, mouthing his name and reaching out for him.

Throwing himself out of these loop of memories squeezes Lance's heart – in more way than one – and has him gasping for breath as he looks around the command pod dazed by everything he's seen. Lance has to pry his fingers from where they're gripping the sticks much too tight in his shock.

**SLAM!**

He brings his fists down – hard – on the dashboard to his right and he wants to hit it again, but just drags his fingers down it, scratching at the smooth surface.

"Why?! Why would you do that?!" He yells as slides to his knees.

"Why?" He whispers wetly, "Why can't you tell me?" He begs desperately for an answer.

At that the few lights dim and the chair slides back, telling him Black is done talking to him. Lance doesn't feel the least bit bad when he punches the wall next to the door before stomping out and stumbling down to his friends. He takes his helmet off and he hears them all gasp quietly.

"You were in there for like thirty minutes - doboshes. Are you okay?" Hunk asks as he come up to him.

Lance isn't sure how he looks, but it can't be great if he was 'talking' to Black for that long. So he just frowns and shrugs at Hunk's question.

"Did they speak to you?" Allura ask as she too walks over concerned.

His lips curl up into a cruel grin as he answers, "No. They're being facetious!" He turns to yell that last bit, but Black doesn't move. They don't even press back at the small bond they share.

"Keith just go. Please." Lance mutters as he ignores the Head of Voltron as well.

Two could play at that game.

Keith walks slowly into the Lion and only takes three doboshes before Black is sitting up straight again, shining brightly.

After the Lion roars telling the others that they're back, they let Keith down and he walks just as slowly as he did to the Lion as he does to them now. Lance offers him a smile, but it doesn't seem to do anything.

"I'm proud of you, Keith. I wish you were getting the job under better circumstances. But congratulations." Allura says softly.

"Congratulations, Keith." Pidge chimes in followed by Hunk.

"Yeah, man, ditto." 

"No, I don't accept this." 

The collective gasp and looks of shock paint everyone's face as they look to each other before looking back at the new Black Paladin.

"You must. The Black Lion has chosen you." Allura pleads.

"I can't replace Shiro! You guys were right. I'm the loner. I'm not the leader Shiro thought I was."

_We shouldn't have implied or said that._

Walking up to the other conflicted teen Lance places his hand on Keith's shoulder prompting him to look over at him.

"Keith, no one can replace Shiro. But the Black Lion wouldn't choose anybody it didn't feel was worthy to lead Voltron. You should respect their choice. I will."

Keith's lips twitch up into a halfhearted smile before the frown is back as he turns to look back at Black, "But who's gonna fly the Red Lion?"

That's how Lance finds himself holding hands with Allura as they stand before Red. So small in stature and yet his presence took up the whole room. The meaning of being able to pilot him was no small matter. It held such a familial legacy for both the royal siblings and neither which either one wanted to erase.

"It has to be you," Lance finds himself whispering, "No one else could help lead us better than you." He turns to her with a confident smile.

"I will try." Allura smiles back.

Red let's her in, but doesn't light up or roar. And as the ticks turn into doboshes he can feel the stinging in his eyes from tears welling up in his eyes, but not spilling over. After a heartbreaking ten doboshes Red – still dark – let's Allura down. Lance immediately meets her halfway and wraps her up in a tight hug, which she welcomes as the short breathes from crying come from her shaking form.

"It wasn't me." She says eventually, voice muffled by his armor.

"I know. I know." He rubs her back comfortingly.

Which is why when he looks up he is shocked by what he sees. Not only is Red alight he is also opening his jaw to them.

"What?"

He questioning tone has Allura stepping back and look behind her to gasp at the sight.

"Why is he doing that? He, he rejected me."

"I don't kn—"

Lance stops as a feeling presses on him, nudges at him until he stares up and hears what can only be Red saying 'Lance, it is you'. He stares longer, wide eye at the Lion, but the same message is pressed into his mind again. He doesn't even notice he's shaking his head 'no' until Allura is stepping in front of him and drawing his attention.

"What is he saying?"

"I – I – I – No! I'm with Blue! She's..."

And he runs.

He runs all the way to the elevator completely forgetting he could just teleport himself there, but does so when he reaches the elevator. What he finds leaves him more distraught because Blue is sitting there, lit up proudly, with her shield up.

"No! Please Blue! I don't want — I can't be the Red Paladin! I'm not — I'm not Father. I couldn't take his place! It should be Allura. It has to be Allura!" He cries out.

His legs give out from beneath him and he falls onto a heap at his knees. Clenching his fists he pounds on the floor with an unknown emotion swirling in his stomach.

'It needs to be you.'

"Why?! Why does it have to be me?" He shouts angrily at her.

Angry that she was abandoning him. Angry that nothing was going right for the team. Angry that he had let himself love again and lost it all the same, just like last time.

But before Blue can answers the shield powers down and she leans forward to open her mouth, but it doesn't stop at him. No, she passes over him and opens up for Allura, who looks equally shocked and pained, her redden eyes on displayed.

They stare at each other and without the other one knowing it both feel like they're looking at younger versions of themselves. Sad, hurting, broken versions of the once always happy children and young adults they were becoming before they became nothing more then hollow husks because of this war.

'You must move on. You have reached your potential with me, but you're not done growing as a Paladin, there is so much more. Your sister and you are opposites. Where you are heart, she is strength. It is time you were balance. It is the only way you will be ready for the trials ahead. You are ready for more responsibilities. I've made sure of it.'

And then Blue is silent. She's there like she always, is in the back of his mind, but the crashing waves were more like the ripples in a pond. Despite everything she said Lance doesn't feel ready at all and he doubts he could ever be the right hand that Voltron needs. He wasn't ready for this. But as he looks to his sister he remembers he's not the only one disappointed. The only one hurting over this decision.

Allura takes a few steps before she is running the rest of the small distance to come kneel by him, "Lance I'm —"

But Lance cuts her off. It wasn't her fault how the Lions chose. How could they say the Lions must chose than try to bargain their way out of it, "No. Don't be sorry. She, she says its time I move on."

"But you love her." Allura exclaims.

"And you deserved Red," He says earnestly as he turns to her, "but we don't get what we want. We haven't in a long time."

"Lance."

"I'm sorry to be cynical it just..." And he really can't find a way to even say everything that had happened to them in a concise way, but he assumes his silence can paint a picture.

"You have the right. We've had so much happen to us I'm usually grateful when we can smile," Allura answers with a empty laugh, "It's like what you said to Keith. We must respect their choices."

Pulling him into a hug similar to the one he just gave her, she whispers into his ear, "I'll take the best care of her. I promise."

"You better," Lance says with a sad sigh, "I'm – I'm glad that if I have to lose her I'm losing her to you."

"And Lance," Allura pushes him back to hold him at arm lengths and says with so much conviction, "Father would have wanted either one of us. It's just you this time."

Lance is quiet as he stares back, but her eyes convey nothing but sincerity and it make his chest compress from having this mantel placed on him.

"I'll try to make his memory proud." He whispers.

"You already have." She smiles at him as she helps him stand.

But Allura isn't the only one happy with his move as Blue bends back over and nudges him gently with her snout and lets her sense of pride in her Paladin's new rank crash over him like waves again and he turns around to hug as much as he can of her nose.

"I'm going to miss you girl." Lance sighs as he closes his eyes.

'I won't leave you completely. I'll always be here for you.'

He's rest his head against her cool metal nose and relaxes into the buoyancy of being with her and only faintly hearing Allura telling the team to meet on the bridge as they have solved their problem.

* * *

No matter how raw and fresh the hurt of having to leave Blue was and the almost normal sadness associated with each passing quintant without a certain someone it all went away at seeing his sister walking down the hall in Paladin armor, it very much brighten his quintant. The armor became her and her natural confidence showed brightly. He had never been so proud of her than now.

"You look good. Trying to channel Mother?" Lance jokes lightly.

She smirks, "A bit," Then the smile becomes more solemn as she adds, "But I'm mostly doing it for Shiro."

Lance is stuck speechless at this and can do more than give her a shaky smile.

"Thank you."

"No thanks needed. He deserves it."

They walk the rest of the way in comfortable silence until they reach the bridge were they tell everyone what had happened as they exchange bayards. Allura gets compliments – as she should – on her new armor and Keith congratulates him on taking up his place with Red. Surprisingly, Keith's first order is drills to test their skills with their new Lions. Their location in an asteroid field in the quadrant is the perfect place to test overall maneuverability and fire power. They float out in a circle about six ship lengths from the Castle and just above the field as those with new Lions brief the others on their Lions.

"So rundown. Red is super quick. You need to begin planning two steps ahead with every move. He's also very energized and so while the sticks feel loose it's to give you a wider range of motion. He's also picky about what you're doing and will tell you so listening to when he's yelling at you – so to speak – is the best." Keith list off before the screen switches to Allura and Lance his telling his sister what she needs to know.

"Okay got it. Allura, Blue is...well.... bendy. She takes after me of course," Lance says proudly, "So twisting, climbing, and evading are her strong suites, but she also very well bratty." 

"Just like someone else we know." Keith throws in teasingly over the comms.

And Lance's first response is to stick out his tongue except only Allura can see it and she's already covering her mouth to stop herself from giggling.

"You can't see it, but I'm sticking my tongue out at you." Lance quickly says after he realizes what he had done.

Huffs of laughter ring in his ears from everyone and he shakes his head and his own silliness too. 

"So anyway, be gentle and be ready to talk out a compromise or you're going to be sitting wherever she sits for a long time."

"Diplomacy is my strong suit, I can do this."

The channel goes out and Keith's smirking face appears in place of Allura's.

"Alright smartypants. Black is well ...Black. They mostly like to do their own thing and are cheeky about it, but if you need something done they will do anything for you. Their not as fast as the others. Only Yellow is slower than Black. So I guess remember they can take a hit and give it right back. Also close range with larger targets and long range for everything smaller."

"Okay," Keith nods seriously, "So this exercise is for us to get to the Castle without Hunk or Pidge hitting us three times or getting hit by a passing asteroid five times. We can hit back and if they get hit tree times than they're out. Help each other out when you can. This is supposed to be a team exercise as well as a bonding exercise."

As Pidge and Hunk leave to go hide in the field and Coran gives a countdown Lance thinks that maybe they misjudged Keith. Lance knew how that felt to have misconceptions from rumors about one's character and what Keith was having them do right now was a sign of that. He was smart enough to know they needed practice and was having them do so.

_Maybe there was a leader under all the horrible hair and obnoxiously bored exterior after all._

When Coran hits zero they take off. And when Lance say they took off he means him and Red.

"Whoo-hoo! Wow boy, you can really move!"

And he's glad Keith told him about planning ahead because he did get around two asteroids, but had to quickly climb and run over another. So focused on that he almost got hit with a volley shot from Yellow.

"Ack!" Trying to evade and not get hit Lance tries to hide behind another passing asteroid and completely misses it.

"Seriously?! Do you not have brakes!" Lance finds himself yelling as he goes pass another piece of debris.

After his third try and his first hit from Pidge he has to wonder what his Father was thinking with Red. Speed is not always the answer. But he seems to get the hang of it because he gets around Pidge and meets up with Keith and Allura eventually, who according to scans has been hit by three asteroids, but no friendly fire while his sister has two hits from friendly fire. He hails then and they start putting together a plan to lure either Hunk or Pidge out before Coran is calling all of them saying that Puig is under attack again. Keith calls for them to go because even if they don't have Voltron they do have all five Lions and right now quantity is going to have to do better than quality.

They get there and a much more elegant Galra cruiser appears out of hyperjump with the helm stating that he was Zarkon's son, a Prince Lotor. They only fight for about ten doboshes doing considerable well for their first time out and do a lot of damage to the fighters. Allura gets one good shot to one of the hanger openings and Keith only gets clipped with the ion cannon. But thankfully Coran arrives and hits the cruiser dead on and seemingly causes Prince Lotor to retreat. After that they barley get any rest before Keith is calling them out to fly after Lotor. It starts off really well with them almost corralling Lotor, but as soon as he is supposed to get around the prince and fire Lance forgets he's piloting Red and not Blue and sails pass his mark and Allura starts hitting the others seeming to forget that Blue is smaller than the Castle as she tries to get into his position. From there it goes downhill and soon he and Red are lost on the planet they track Lotor too. 

_Okay. I think we need to rethink how we're going to deal with Keith's leading style._

Lance thinks to himself as him and Red slowly walk over the curling and jagged rock formations looking for a way off this foggy stormy mess of a planet.

* * *

He wasn't expecting to find anyone else here. Lance just needed time alone and away to sort through everything that had happened today, which to put it mildly, was a lot. Even if everything turned out well it was still a lot.

But here was Keith hiding out on the deck he found him hiding so many phoebs ago after his own capture. The lights were out once again and Keith was sitting backwards and crossed legged on the couch, letting his elbows rest on the floor it was built into. His hands cradled his head and every few ticks his fingers would tap out some beat on his cheeks before stopping as he continued to stare blankly out into space.

Lance wants to leave, knowing how Keith is he'd want his space, but on the other hand Lance wants to try and build up their short friendship again and also on a more serious note it was important that the right hand – or in this case arm – was not only able to backup the leader, but to anticipate what the leader needed as well. 

"How are you doing?" Lance says softly, breaking some of the atmosphere in the room.

"Is there a word you that means sad, disappointed, scared, and a little bit honored and proud?" He asks softly never looking away from the the window.

Lance's lips twitch up lightly as he smiles to himself as he feels the same, "I don't think there's one so complicated, but I think I understand what you're going through."

Keith turns to look at him and ask genuinely confused, "How do you know?"

"The Red Lion chose me." Lance says plainly.

"I know. Why does it matter?" He asks, still looking lost before he realizes Keith may not know this piece of history.

"My Father piloted the Red Lion. Just sitting in him I feel like I could never live up to his abilities or expectations. I feel like I don't want to bond with him completely because —"

"It will get rid of the memory that you have of it," Keith says over him, but perfectly stating what he wanted to say, "I get it, I don't want to ruin the team and Shiro was just so... "

He trails off and the silence just encapsulates what Shiro meant to them. Sighing softly Lance walks over and sits down near Keith, who turns to face him.

"Yeah. But I also know that it's a matter of knowing what this means when we're chosen," Lance speaks up, even though he's not sure where he's going with this, "I think if we remember what they taught us and try to see what they saw in us it will become easier to not only deal with our fears, but reach our potential. I know I can support you as the leader. You're hotheaded, but you can cool down when it's needed the most. And well, I trust you. We don't always see eye to eye..."

"Ever." Keith interjects with a smirk.

"You're right. Ever," Lance finds himself smiling too, "Your taste in fashion is atrocious. Leggings with leather?"

"I can move around well, can't I?" 

"I guess," Lance chuckles at Keith's sassy reply before looking to him seriously, "I'm not going to leave you hanging. I'm your second-in-command whether you like it or not, but I'll be there. I believe the Human saying is 'I got your back'."

Keith nods and smiles back, "I got your back too. You're one of my friends – my only friends – and we need to show that this change doesn't hurt us. Like he says 'patience yields focus'."

Lance nods at that before sitting back and watching the stars go by with Keith, which was almost like nothing had gone wrong in the past phoebs. They're quiet for a bit, but the last thing Keith said, couple with what he said in anger awhile ago sit like a rock in his stomach. 

Wetting his lips Lance still looking forward says strongly, "I wasn't flirting."

He can see Keith turn around in his peripheral vision, but he doesn't turn to look at him yet.

"Lance I —"

"I mean maybe it seemed that way, but I wouldn't disrespect him - his memory like that. I was asking about the culture, ancient currency, and ruling government of each planet. I – I'm working on an alliance agreement that all the planets can be a part of that won't allow something like this to happen again. I'm also trying to help with the older conquered planets that have innocent Galra on them too. I just want – I just want there to be some sort of rest when this is over and that Earth doesn't have to go through anything we've had to. So no one has to lose anyone like we have."

He turns to Keith and sees his head is bowed as he leans into the side of the couch.

"That's why you're always with Kolivan." He says quietly.

"He knows about those systems better than anyone."

Keith looks up and Lance can see his eyes shine sadness, "I'm sorry about what I said... about you not caring that he's missing. I just never saw you get upset or grieve." 

"Alteans aren't supposed to show their mourning." Lance says with a nonchalant tone, wanting to brush it off so he didn't have to think about the first quintants Shiro was gone.

But the intense inquisitive look Keith gives him has Lance telling him a bit about his culture.

"We'll have services where everyone can be seen, but after that if we continue to mourn we are supposed to be unseen."

"Why?"

"Well we were a very science-driven and diplomatic planet. We were the planet people looked to for help with negotiations and we wouldn't join wars unless needed. We also had the latest scientific marvel or innovation too. To be caught up in the past for a longer period of time was seen as a failing since we were always pushing forward. I don't know how smaller houses did it, but the Castle has secret passages that allowed us to move around if we were in mourning as we weren't allowed to be seen that we were still holding on to the past. Seeing someone in mourning clothes was taboo and usually only one or two other family members could see you, but to be seen by anyone else, like servants was an offense."

Keith nods along with his explanation before it seems like something dawns for him.

"So when we didn't see you for two and half weeks you were —"

"Decked out in pink, grey, and white wandering out of your way." Lance's lips curl up woefully at the memories.

Those were some of the worst quintants of his life and it was only a prelude to the constant pressure of loneliness that was with him afterwards.

"Pink?" Keith asks looking confused again.

"It's the color of fallen warriors or heroes."

"Oh. So we won't get in trouble for looking in Allura's direction will we?" He as with a cracked smile.

"No," Lance grins back, "Its in memorial not mourning, there a certain style, length, and color combination for it to mean that."

"Really?" And if the disbelief in his voice wasn't enough the look cemented it.

"Alteans had to look fabulous even at our worst," Lance answers sardonically, "Plus, my Mother was oddly progressive as she used to wear it all the time because it matched her eyes. So maybe Allura is following her too."

"Ha, your mother sounds cool."

"She was the best. Wasn't afraid to put you in your place either."

"It's a good trait."

Lance didn't know how to continue this talk, but the quiet they had lapsed into isn't as awkward as most of their interactions have been as of late. But Lance knows enough that its getting late and Keith would probably want to be alone again and it was very likely he would have them running drills tomorrow until they can work like a unit again. Standing Keith takes notice and Lance says his goodbyes.

"I was serious. You will be a good leader Keith."

"Thanks Lance. And I don't know much, but I think you're dad would be fine with you piloting Red."

"Thank you." He says with a small smile.

"Yeah. Get some rest."

Lance smiles again as he walks out, but as soon as he's away his lips drop into an indifferent frown. He wishes he could take Keith's advice to heart, but the likelihood of him resting well was slim when the last place Shiro was, was in his room and that wouldn't stop haunting his thoughts.


	2. You weren't meant to be mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One for the memories.  
> The silence is deafening.  
> I can't keep living on repeat.
> 
>  
> 
> But I can't let you go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From now on there's going to be a lot more Shance moments that you've all been waiting for!

Most nights he doesn't dream. Other nights it just memories of his childhood. But this dream, this dream was something he dreaded and delighted in when it would happen.

Lance would awake dressed in his seafoam outfit, but with a much more fanciful look, the fabric stretched longer and eventually became a cape. One that was not suited for the area he was in now. Every time this dream occurred Lance would find himself on an enormous stump that was covered in soft moss that would have flickering embers that glowed a warm orange at the edge of the growth. He would turn his eyes skyward and see the marvelous starry sky amidst the tips of the large trees' canopies which were also adorned with small fires. The smoke would wisp upward and dance in the wind as some of the embers and burning leaves would also go fluttering through the sky. He walks to the edge of the stump and looks into the crystal clear water that fills this dreamscape and reflects the sky wonderfully. Every time this happen Lance hopes that it will be deeper than his shins and he will be able to submerge himself in the cool comfort of the water and awake from this fantasy. But each time he would slip his bare feet into the water and he would touch the bottom of the sandy vine covered ground and would be filled with both joy and pain as his mind wouldn't let him take the easy way out. Slipping his hood on he starts to wander the unrealistic swamp with no destination in mind.

The trees were wide and triangular at the base, but would thin the taller they got as they seemed to intertwine with the trees next to them adding to the intrigued and surrealism of this world. There were some patches of grass around the trees as well and despite how many plants there were growing there was ample space for Lance to walk and his cape never snagged on anything. He walks aimlessly, taking in the beauty of this place lit by the bright stars and galaxy, the Milky Way he was told, as he waits for his companion to find him.

As Lance walks underneath the trunk of a fallen tree and he finds  _him_  in a clearing staring up at the galaxy, his galaxy, while his being is illuminated by the stars and moons above and his armor glows from the fire in the crowns of the trees. Lance stands at the edge of the clearing just taking in the sight and committing it to memory like so many times before. 

Dream Shiro seems to know he's here because he turns around, his dark eyes gleaming with love and his lips set in his soft and caring smile. Slowly stretching his arm out, his right hand is offered to Lance as this Shiro always does every time. 

Lance could choose to not take the hand.

He could stop this prolonged misery if he didn't.

But he can't. Not when Shiro seemed so real and right  _there_.

So without any hesitation Lance walks forward and lets this figment of his imagination wrap him in a hug that he wishes was true. Soon they are untangling, but they keep their hands together – Lance's left in Shiro's right – and they stroll quietly through the marshy waters with the lights of the stars and the faint burning to guide them, taking the time to stop and just gaze above or into each other's eyes.

But too soon dawn start to appear in the fictitious land and Lance knows he'll be waking up soon.

Alone.

"Why does this keep happening? You're not really here." He says quietly as he watches the sky change in small increments, almost taunting him with how much time he has left.

"No. I'm not," The dream Shiro replies woefully, "Lance. I'm so sorry. So sorry again that I can't be right here with you."

He lays his warm hands on Lance's shoulders and turns him, but Lance doesn't – can't – look into those longing eyes. Not again. But he does, unable to denied his heart's desires. And the smile – as watery as it may be – is wonderful and it hurts so much more knowing he won't see Shiro's face when he wakes up.

"You're doing so well. You're being so strong." He says as his hands trace along his shoulders, up his neck, and caresses his cheeks before trying to let go.

But Lance won't let him. He holds his wrists tight to keep this Shiro's hands in place as Lance tries not to cry.

"But it doesn't matter if your not here!" Lance stresses as he looks through his tears.

The Shiro of his dreams bends down and kisses his forehead and Lance can feel a few teardrops land on his head prompting his own tears to run down his face.

"I'm here. I promise, I am always here." He whispers.

But the forlorn and miserable sound of this Shiro's voice makes Lance cry harder as they lean their foreheads together and spend their last moments together before a sun crests over the horizon blinding Lance.

His eyes snap open and he stares at his blank wall by his bed as tears stream down his face. In a fitfully turn he drops his face into his pillows and let out furious heartbroken wail as the memories and warmth of Shiro's touch fade into his mind. Which is why it takes so much longer than he wants to admit to drag himself out of bed and to his closet. Opening the door he walks to one of his darker blue jumpsuits, but forgoes the cape that goes with it. Turning to leave Lance pauses as he sees his mourning robes hanging in view by the doors. Lance takes slow steps up to them and runs his hands along the long sleeves. One of his hand does make it to the hanger, but a whisper stops him.

_**"You're being so strong."** _

It's just be a figment of his tired and grief-stricken mind, but Lance holds on to the small praise and comforting words his dream Shiro told him. Stepping back and walking past the robes he leaves his closet and stops by his couch. On the table in front of it lays a small pad. Tapping it the display come up in the form of a hard light keypad and a translucent screen. After he types out what that Shiro said Lance reverently scrolls to the top and gazes at the now thirty-six message he has.

Lance knows this isn't the best way to handle this, but he can't let go and this — this was the only thing keeping him sane while pushing him towards an edge he didn't know.

The messages were all spaced out over the seven phoebs Shiro had been gone, which Lance still can't believe it and still doesn't want to, but maybe the sooner he does he'll be able to live again.

But love...

He can't do that a fourth time.

Reading the first message Lance lets his finger glide over it. Truly it was the second time dream Shiro ever spoke to him, but the first time was so nerve racking that he woke himself up crying and left his room in an instant so shook from the realistic experience by the time he calmed himself the slight chill of the Castle took away the feelings of warmth the dream gave him when he was hugged.

**_"One day at a time Lance. You can do it, you're strong enough."_ **

* * *

The rest of the protective glass falls away from the being's face and Lance can't move. Everything stops as he stands slowly and puts away his bayard, regardless of Allura's commands not to and starts taking steps toward him.

_How? Why? I don't understand?_

He hears the others arguing with Slav, but he has zero interest in it. There maybe a blaster pointed at him, but he has to know what is going on.

"My name is not Shiro. It is Sven." Shiro says through gritted teeth.

"You know us?" Slav asks sounding very unconvinced with their claims, whatever they were.

"Yes. I helped save you from a Galra prison. And you," Lance turns back to Shiro, "You're our leader the pilot of the Black Lion," Lance speaks up before saying softly, "You – you were mine."

"I would never be yours Altean." This Shiro hiss with so much venom and hatred that Lance feels physically hit and takes a steps back.

When he does the other Shiro looks shock and lowers his blaster to stares back at him with pity.

"Maybe you were never meant to be mine." Lance whispers to himself as thinks about how he had been or denied himself love in his life and it never turned out right when he tried.

After the verbal slap everything narrows to Allura. Her coming closer and pulling him back, her asking questions, and her gasp of shock that has Lance lifting his head and is struck speechless by what is in front of him.

Or more like who is in front of him.

A living breathing Altean in modified Defender armor with Gladiators behind her. She looks equally shocked before bowing.

"How?" Lance ask, voice clogged with so many emotions, but for once they're joyous ones.

"Empress? Prince Martyr?" The pink haired Altean states in disbelief and reverence. 

"Uh, I'm confused." Hunk says and Lance would agree since he checked out for most of the discussion from before and had no idea what was happening.

"What is going on?"

"Are you Empress Allura? And Prince Martyr A'lanor?" She asks from her kneeling position.

"I am Princess Allura." His sister answers confused.

"And I'm Prince A'lanor. Please stand." Lance adds and watches as the Altean rises gracefully.

"I am Commander Hira, Empress. Prince Ma —" And Commander Hira cuts herself of at the rest of his unearned title, "How can you be here? You put down the Galra Uprising and established the Altean Empire 10,000 years ago."

After Pidge fills him in on how they're in a alternate reality and Hira tells them of how in the attack of Altea it was only he and Allura left, their Father and Mother killed earlier in the war. And how Lance, still powerful in this reality, had teleported Allura to safety before fighting off a battalion killing them and being killed when faced against Zarkon. Lance may have not been the one to do this in this world, but he knows if it was between him and Allura he would choose her every time. This world's Allura than avenged his other's sacrifice and won the war before interacting with other systems, bring peace to their war torn systems. Commander Hira spoke of scientific advancements that Lance always knew Altea could have achieve and how they used it to show other systems a better way of live. And saving of lives through rehabilitation. It was just too amazing to hear, too fantastic to believe, but than Hira showed him and Allura Altea. What their Altea could have looked like and it was magnificent. 

They were overcome with emotions with Allura's face stuck in shock and eyes glistening with joy and he was lacking the ability to breathe at such a sight. It got worst when Hira invited them to come back. To step foot on their living, breathing, thriving homeworld again.

"I – I think – I think I need a moment." Lance say breathless as he takes stumbling steps back to the bridge's doors.

"Of course my Prince. This must be a great shock. We will be here waiting." Hira says with a kindly smile.

Lance makes it down the hall and keeps walking until he's breathing again and he has to say he's still jittery with excitement and homesickness as he thinks about seeing Altea again. Even if it isn't his.

Which brings him back to the other Shiro, or Sven as he said. The one who seems to hate Alteans. Why would he despise people who were doing good? It didn't make any sense at all. But it wasn't like he could ask and even if he did, would they tell him the truth? And how close to Shiro was this Sven, because while it sounds like his and Allura's doppelgängers seem to match up well, why wouldn't Shiro's? And if it did were they on the wrong side? But they couldn't they...they were Alteans.

"Yoo hoo."

The accent tips him off faster than the closeness of the sound and Lance turns, reaching for his bayard, but Sven is faster as he pins Lance's wrists to the wall and looms over him with a superior smirk.

"Don't do that. I've only come to talk Altean." He says, his vowels sliding from his lips making his voice and him somehow seem more dangerous.

And Lance likes it.

"Really? Because it seems like something else from where I am." And Lance can't help the cheeky remark, he had set him up so perfectly.

Sven doesn't seem annoyed though and actually looks him up and down causing Lance to have to hold in a breathy sigh and shutter at how the rebel looks at him. How similar those dark eyes look as they gaze down at him.

"Hmm it does, doesn't it? Will you do anything?" Sven says lowly as he squeeze his hands around his wrists tighter.

"Maybe? Maybe not?" Lance answers with a catty grin and wiggles a bit.

It gets Sven to move his wrists and hold them on either side of his head and presses closer to him.

"But who says I don't like it here?" Lance purrs as he looks up from where he's being held.

"You say you're good, but you seem quiet bad Altean."

"Only with incentive and it's Lance... Sven." Lance sighs the Human's name and from the grin he knows the Sven likes it.

"Hmm," And he leans in closer with a playful smirk, "I like the simplicity. It suits you."

_**"I like your nickname. It suits you."** _

The memory was an early one when Lance had asked Shiro during one of their late nights what 'Shiro' meant. He told him it was actually his nickname per his own culture's rules. Lance told him he shorten his name because he didn't like the stuffiness of it and it made it easier to approach people, especially the children he helped, with a more modern easier to pronounce name. Shiro smiled and told him he liked it. That he couldn't see him as anything but a Lance. 

The lack of pressure and heat around him tells Lance he's free and when he looks up Lance see Sven looking down shyly at him.

"What's wrong?" He asks quietly, looking so familiar with his eyes full of concern.

_I'm still mourning over the disappearance, but most likely death of your doppelgänger._

"Nothing," Lance looks away from the similar gaze, "And you seem very concerned about someone who is your enemy."

"Slav says you're not and I'm inclined to agree. He sounds cuckoo crazy, but he is smart." Sven says softly.

"I know that's true." Lance chuckles a bit at the phrase that describes Slav perfectly in apparently all realities.

"It was the other me." Sven says, doesn't even ask because he already knows, Lance is so easy to read.

Lance looks up and Sven looks so sure of himself and he wasn't wrong either, "Are all of you supposed to be so perceptive?" Lance asks as he purses his lips into a pout.

Sven shrugs slightly with a small grin before looking at him sadly, "I am sorry for what I said. He must have been very important to you."

"You didn't know, but thank you," Lance says quickly trying to ignore the pain and does so by turning on the still flustered Human, "Is there anything else besides flirting your way into apologizing that you needed to say or was that it? Not to say it's bad. You should definitely employ that move more on missions."

With a bashful laugh Sven turns away before he's rambling about how he hasn't done that before and Slav talked him into talking to him because of the obvious attraction and how he was sorry again that he used it against him. All this served to do was make Lance smile wider at the fast lilting scrambled talking Sven was doing to calm himself. But after he does Sven becomes serious and quickly tells him how the real Altea of this reality is.

How quickly Altean forces had taken over Earth. How they bombed the six nations that happened to be at war with each other after the Alteans couldn't get them to stop fighting. How anyone left alive was fitted with non-cogs and some of the chemical fallout from the bombs had displaced millons. How he doesn't remember what happened before the bombs and how he was relocated by quick thinking humanitarians and found his home in another country and given a new name all at age seven. How he always remembered the aftermath and wanted to do something to free his home. How Earth was now a high-end port planet and the pefrect place for the Guns of Gamara to move information and cargo. How a large part of the population is still mourning the lost of the countries destroyed and was easily helping behind the scenes to help dismantle the empire.

The rolling sickness he feels at Sven describing what happened to him is double as he describes the horror that is the hoktril. Taking away other beings freewill so they wouldn't hurt other – in theory it sounds great, but how far would it truly go before it becomes a way to handle a situation with the least amount of effort. It makes Lance realize that his team can't stay here. That he and Allura can't stay here or they would be subjected to promoting something they don't believe. But only as he is turning back to the bridge does the whole hallway light up telling Lance that Allura had used her newer and stronger abilities to awaken the ship. He doesn't think he just grabs Sven's hand and runs back to the bridge to confront the Commander.

He tries to tell Allura what Sven told him, but Hira continues to evade and sugarcoat every argument causing Allura to look conflicted. But the tantalizing attraction of seeing Altea must be too great of an incentive as Allura asks if he is sure that he isn't just charmed by the rebel wearing Shiro's face. But before he can defend himself the alchemist makes himself present and not without the others. Hunk, Keith, Pidge, and Slav were all in shackles with weapons pointed at them. Keith yells at Allura about what they've done and the non-cogs and that seems to snap Allura from her desire to go home as she tries to change Hira's mind before denouncing them as not Altean at all. Hira's alchemist threatens to shoot, but the ship starts to violently shake as Slav laughs maniacally throwing everything into disarray.

While Allura takes down Hira, Lance faces the Gladiators with Sven. And he such a sweetstar as he tries to place himself in between the Gladiators and him, but the alchemist must forgets that Lance, in any reality, is stronger than him. Pushing back and enclosing everyone in a shield the Gladiators are overloaded from his stronger quintessence while the alchemist and his slave are immobilized against the walls. They free the others and take off down the hall making their getaway as Pidge warns them that they need to get the comet before they leave. And as they clear a hall of Gladiators Lance thinks this will much easier than with the Galra.

* * *

_"Sven! No!" Lance cries as he turns and sees Sven go down hard._

_Easliy carrying him out of the crossfire Lance c_   _radles Sven close to his chest and can feel every labored breath as his body rises and falls against him._

_"Why?! You saved me and you don't know me!" He whispers as tears well up in his eyes._

_Sven makes the effort to turn his head and barely opens his eyes, but Lance can see the depth of tender compassion in those perfectly identical eyes._

_"You are a good person. I'll – I'll – I'll be okay." He smiles up at him as his words peter off into a soft stammer._

_'You saved my life for nothing.'_

_"Lance."_

"Lance? Hey you there?"

Lance looks over from his spot on one of the metal benches in the conservatory and sends a small grin towards his best friend's figure, who is trying to make it through the Altean brush to get to him. Lance is hoping he can look as happy as the grin he's showing off is.

But Hunk is amazing and as soon as he get under the Panela tree's wide leaves he sees right through it asking, "Hey buddy. How are you doing?"

Sighing and letting the grin drop Lance shuffles over for Hunk to sits beside him.   Hunk promptly passed him a small bowl of the dessert called ice cream and they lapse into silence as they eat quickly.

Lance was surprised that the solarium was still alive when he checked on it the first night he came back. When the Castle was put into hibernation it apparently slowed the plants' growth as well. It was a marvelous find to see that the remnants of most of Altea's flora was still safe. Though the main room was slightly warmer than the rest of the Castle and not the best place to eat the frozen treat. If Lance had know he would have gone to the cooler region of the conservatory so they could enjoy this treat longer. But on the other hand he wouldn't say anything to Hunk if he had a longer time to eat.

Setting the half finish bowl down on the bench he says softly, "Well I'm somewhat better because I got all my violent tendencies out on the deck."

"Keith." Hunk comments already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, he – he's really getting this leader thing down." Lance says honestly.

He can't help thinking back to how he was so angry with not only Altea becoming a place of hate, and Lotor getting the comet, but also how he might've caused Sven's death. He started the Gladiators on the highest level he could and cuts through them with nothing but raw energy – ill to his stomach about their mission. It was supposed to be them finding more of their kind, not seeing how they could be so similar to the Galra. Keith came in to talk to him, but Lance wouldn't allow it.

_**"No! You came here to fight or you shut up and leave. I don't have time for anything else."** _

Keith stayed and took him down a couple pegs, but it had helped cool him down enough to talk about how he felt he was a liability to the team after getting sidetracked by Shiro/Sven, feeling guilty about creating the Altean Empire with his death – even when it wasn't him – and how he was almost killed twice. Surprisingly, Keith handled it well saying they all could be liabilities in different situations, even giving examples. But in the end they just needed to make sure they listened when others were trying to get 'their heads out of their asses' as Keith had so eloquently said.

"So he kicked your ass?"

"Oh totally," Lance chuckles with a rueful smile, "I was really angry and wildly lashing out, but now I'm just crashing and dealing with everything else."

"Hmm...so what's the score now?" Hunk questions as he finishes his small bowl.

"Thirty-nine to my thirty-eight and a tie of eleven."

"Wow eighty-eight," Hunk says in surprise and Lance simple raises an eyebrow in questioning as he passes the rest of his ice cream to his friend, "I was expecting you guys to be further than that. I mean especially with how you were in the beginning. You really should be at like... I don't know....126."

"That's a very specific number." Lance says as he sits up straighter and fixes Hunk with a speculative look.

Hunk folds his arms and says in a deep tone, "Well I am a very specific kinda guy."

They hold the serious façade for only a couple of ticks before dissolving into giggles as they watch the plants begin to sway softly as the wind generator starts to kick in. If Lance closed his eyes and just let the wind flow over his face and ruffle his hair he could imagine watching the few screaming wallowflies that used to be kept here, fluttering about disturbed by the artificial wind, moving to other plants to help pollenate the other plants around the wide room.

"...It happened again." Lance finds himself saying quietly as he opens his eyes again.

He didn't even want to bring it up, but this day's dream was to much... of everything. Along with everything else today he needed to talk to someone about it.

"Lance —"

"I just – it feels so real like I'm actually there," Lance starts as he thinks back on the dream and how vibrant and life like it was, "but than nothing and it's – it's just getting harder to go to sleep. I have him only to lose him again."

Pausing at the memory he thinks of what happened next and it gives him a set of chills before he looking into Hunk's warm empathic eyes.

"He cried in this one Hunk and I felt the teardrops – it I – he's never cried too, but he did and it's just..."

And he can't speak anymore, but luckily Hunk understands and pulls him into a hug that he gladly takes as he buries himself in the mini-sized version of sunshine and comfort. 

"And it's probably going to happen more after with Sven." He says into Hunk's shoulder after a dobosh or two as he thinks back on their opposite reality.

"Lance don't beat yo—"

"But it is my fault!" He exclaims as he pushes back from the hug, "I should have seen – maybe even felt the crystals powerin—"

Steady hands on his shoulders stop his rambling and Lance drags his eyes from where they were focused on the ground and lock eyes with his best friend who looks more stern than Lance had seen him.

"Hey. Don't do that. It could have happened to anyone. If Sven is anyway like Shiro, and he does seem like it, than he would have pushed either one of us out of the way." He says gently.

"Yeah, but it makes it worst that it was me." Lance laments as he looks away again.

"This is kinda what we signed up for when we stayed and I can't say it will get better because for everything good thing we do something else weird or bad happens, but as long as we keep together we can get through it."

Lance looks back and catches Hunk's eyes and sees the sincerity in them. He knows there's no point or chance of arguing with Hunk about this. Plus, Lance feels slightly better and would like to enjoy this for as long as he can. With a 'thank you' Lance pulls Hunk into a hug. It's probably not as awesome as Hunk's hug, but who else's is?

Leaning back they get up and leave, making their way towards the kitchen to leave their bowls. And while Lance was exhausted he doesn't necessarily wants to sleep in his room alone tonight.

"Hunk? Can I...?"

And he doesn't even need to finish the sentence because Hunk glances over and knows what he's asking.

"Yeah. Sure thing buddy."

After the first time when Shiro appeared in his dreams he was out of his room like a Chirape out of the Underworld, but he ends up just wandering the halls and stumbling into Hunk who was getting some water. He told him what happened and Hunk just took him to his room and let him sleep and cuddle with him, calming him down considerably. Soon after when Shiro would be haunting his dreams Lance would just spend the next night with Hunk as that seemed to keep the emotional dreams away. One time he didn't and he had two dreams with Shiro in a row, which made him sleep in Hunk's room for a week fearing his ability to work with the team in an imparted state. It was just the quietness of Hunk's room and the happiness that was Hunk default that helped to keep the memories at bay and right now he needed that more than ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the conservatory in a giant greenhouse with the different climates of Altea in designated rooms.  
> The wallowflies are my version of Altean butterflies, but there the size of Luna moths and have internal skeletons. They would blow pressurized air out causing a high pitch screaming like noise.


	3. My Handsome Paladin in Battered Armor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His return to the team was a feat and he shouldn't be here, he made back. He's relieved to be back with his team, his small space family that he had been missing dearly.  
> But somethings can never truly be the same; even when he really wanted them to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS! SEASON 8!
> 
> I watched the bootleg trailer from the NYC-con like more times than I can count and I literally established that Haggar has the Alteans & they're at Oriande, Shiro still looks fine as hell, ASTRAL PLANE FIGHTING!, other rebel fighters or factions (can't tell if they're Galra or not), MY GURL ATLAS!!!!!, & Haggar is going to kick their asses for a bit with her stupid sized robot.
> 
> I can NOT wait! But also yes I can because then Voltron will be over and I'll super sad.

Shiro shoots up from the bed in horror — breath leaving him quicker than he can inhale. As he does the memories of the nightmare fades, but not before in crystal clear detail does he remember the double Haggar had made him fight grapple with him and somehow merge with him. He then hopelessly watched as the other version of himself strategically went through killing off his friends. He watched unable to do anything as his final victim was suffocated by his hand.

His Galra hand.

_**Shiro? Why? I – I lov –** _

Shiro punches the wall closest to him as the dread makes his heart jump painfully in his chest adding to the already vicious beating. It was like it was trying to rip itself from his veins as it pumped his blood faster than he had ever felt. He looks around and instead of the dark chilled prison of a Galra installation he was in his dimly lit warmed room of the Castleship.

Safe. He was safe.

_Not from myself._

The thought is sticky with bitterness about being landed in the same position again even when he last remembers being in the safety of Black only to wake up in his worst nightmare once again.

Slowly pulling his blanket aside Shiro swings his legs over and lets him feet touch the chilled floor. He doesn't mind it, he made the decision to go barefoot because the sensations were helping him feel more human.

Helping to root him here in the present. 

He slides across the floor to the small bathroom each room has and turns on the bright lights, squinting for only a bit before turning on the water and bringing it to his face to rinse off the sweat and lets the cold water cool his face. He keeps his head ducked after the fact and watches the water slowly swirl down the drain as the monotony of it clears his thoughts. His hair also blocks out some of the light creating a makeshift barrier of sorts as he composes himself and his eyes grow accustomed to the light. Sighing deeply, Shiro turns off the faucet and grips the sides of the sink, tilting his head up to glimpse himself in the mirror and can't help grimacing.

His hair is long and straggly smelling strongly of his own stench, likely from not showering for two days and waking up drenched in sweat from having a few nightmares and flashbacks since his return. His unshaven face is patchy – at best – with uneven growth and he can see some white in his unkempt excuse for a beard too. And his eyes are even more tried than he's ever seen, even after the last time he was captured. He looked like a trainwreck and he honestly couldn't care. He knew that not doing anything was letting the Galra win. That they were getting away with what they had done to him, but right now he can't find the strength to do anything yet. And right now he's not sure if he ever would. That's why Shiro hadn't even tried to see the rest of his team. He doesn't want them to see him more broken than before, feeling adrift in his own body.

Keith's the only one he allows to comes in to check-in on him. Keith, who he put through this twice has seen him at his worst and Shiro knows how much Keith worries as he only has so many people to care about. He told him about how the others wanted to see him too. Shiro knew Keith meant everyone, but he also read between the lines and knew he was asking about someone in particular.

Lance.

God, Shiro wanted to see him so bad and hold him in his arms and apologize for what he can only imagine he put Lance through in his absence. To have someone tell you they return their feelings only to leave them the next day. How can he face Lance if he can't even face himself? He tells Keith with the most bored voice he can work up that he doesn't want to talk to talk to anyone, especially Lance.

Shiro should never be able to talk to him either because his disappearance had changed everything.

Shiro was proud that Keith had been leading the team in his absence, doing well like he knew he would, but sadly it cost the others as well. Lance was chosen to be the new Red Paladin and after Keith tells him that news Shiro can't stop the tears from coming. He knows how much Lance loves Blue and now he was responsible for making Lance leave her. So yes, he doesn't want to confront Lance regardless of what he feels for the other. But the response back from Lance was and wasn't what Shiro was expected. Lance told Keith he would wait for him and when Shiro hears that he can't believe it. He's not sure where the anger came from, but soon he's yelling at Keith about what if he's never ready to come back, what if Lance doesn't wait, what if he waits but when he sees him Lance realizes that he didn't really want Shiro after all. But Keith remains steadfast and looks up at Shiro with a glare that conveys disappointment as he says,

**_"Lance said he's going to wait. So he's going to wait."_ **

A few cynical chuckles escape his lips and startle him as he thinks back on that memory. It was a good one, thinking that Lance would wait for him. Shiro wasn't sure if he would try today, but reminding himself he has people waiting for him and he was safe despite his tortured mind does offer some comfort. That should be enough, but somehow it wasn't. He turns off the light and drags himself back to his bed. He had about two more hours before Keith would check-in on him and even if he couldn't sleep he wanted to rest. Throwing the sheet back over himself Shiro struggles to relax before finding a decent enough spot and stares at the ceiling of his alcove just letting his mind go blissfully blank as he's exhausted body collapses back to sleep just like before.

 

Keith pulled his shirt over his head quickly as he could since he couldn't wait to get back to check on Shiro. In the past two days he had actually started answering his questions with real words instead of shaking his head, grunts, or hums. If he was lucky he might be able to talk to him about his second abduction. Shiro had whispered that it was fuzzy, but he would think about it. If they could figure it out, it might help Shiro feel a bit more in control.

"Hey Keith. Can I talk to you?" Lance calls out for him.

Keith turns around from where he was grabbing his jacket out of his locker and looks to Lance. He wants to leave as soon as possible, but when he sees Lance was wringing his unattached cape in his hands Keith knew that the prince was really nervous about what he wanted to ask him.

Well Shiro might appreciate his tardiness – he might not feel hounded.

"Yeah, what's up man?" 

"Well I – I just wanted to talk with you because, because I've been worrying about something lately." Lance awkwardly states.

"Must really be bothering you if you're coming to talk to me." Keith tries to joke, but it obviously goes over Lance's head as his ears dip down and flat.

"Well, I mean, you're the leader now, right?" Lance asks with concern as he stares back.

Keith stares back, still a bit ill at ease with being referred to as such, "I guess. Yeah."

"I've been thinking with Shiro back," And Keith notices the twinkle in Lance's eyes and the brief smile before he continues, "that makes six Paladins for only five Lions, which is one Paladin too many." He says softly.

"Solid math." Keith answers.

"Look, when Shiro is well enough to take back over Black, you're going to want Red. If I was to stay a Paladin, I'd have to take Blue from Allura. And as much as I want to she's progressed so much and she might even be able to unlock even more powers we don't know of." Lance says as he looks down at his cape.

"That's true." And Keith can't tell where this is going, but he's sure he won't like it.

"So, maybe the best thing I can do... the best way to progress...is to not be a Paladin at all. That I should step aside." 

"What?" Keith struggles to even get the word out as he was so shocked by Lance's statement.

Lance looks up with a stoic gaze and his lips set in a firm line, "This isn't a participation game. This is war. And you know this as well as I do. And Red, Red was never a mantle I wanted and Allura's been amazing and, and truly my parents never wanted me to be a Paladin, to be in this dangerous of situations. I could easily continue operations with the Castle an—"  

"What are you talking about?" Keith asks his mind unable to think pass Lance saying he was going to step down.

"Keith it’s the only —"

"No its not," Keith interrupts and stops whatever other self-sacrificing babbling the prince was going to say, "Stop worrying about who flies what and just focus on your missions. Things will work themselves out." He says sternly.

He's not sure how, but he will make sure that Lance doesn't, that no one feels booted aside. Even if he's the one to step down.

"Keith —" And Lance looks annoyed and tries again, but Keith just raise a hand and says,

"Trust me. Okay?"

Lance stares back unsure before looking down at his cape for a long while and starts to smooth out the wrinkles he created.

"Okay," He says softly, "And thanks."

Keith nods at him and turns to leave, but stops at the door and turns around to see Lance placing his cape on.

"And, Lance," He calls out and gets his friend to look at him, "We need you no matter what, but your way might not be it. Personally I think you are at your best when you're in a Lion. But hey what do I know? I'm just the leader."

Lance pauses in the process of putting on his cape as his eyes widen and then a bashful smile works its way over his lips as he looks away. Keith nods to himself and makes his way down to the dorms to try and find out some answers and give another person a pep talk to get up. With any luck the two self-sacrificing idiots would get out of their heads and focus on each other. 

 

_It's been two movements and a half, should I try? No, I shouldn't. He'll come out when he's ready._

When Keith and Black found Shiro it was something that Lance hoped for, but never expected to be true. They had all been overjoyed to know that Shiro was back and rightly disappointed when they were told by Coran that they couldn't come to the medbay. It seems that Shiro had been floating for quintants and was very low on nutritions. Lance wasn't sure he was able to see Shiro at the brink of death so he didn't say anything against it.

Even after Shiro was released he still slept for the next quintant and a half to regain his strength. When Keith finally came back with news of him being awake they all asked about seeing him and how well he seemed. Keith sadly told them he wasn't up for visitors yet, but Lance had looked over hopefully only for Keith to tell him privately that Shiro had said he wasn't ready to see him yet. It hurt even if he knew why Shiro was blocking him out, so he could only tell Keith that he would wait and go on with his missions. And he would wait, to the end of time if he had to. Someone he gave his heart to was actually alive and well – would be well – and Lance was not going to give them up.

_But it's been so long. I just want to know if he's okay._

It was tortuous not really knowing. At most Lance would get a glimpse of Shiro when he would leave his mid-meal in front of his door. Even though he knew Shiro didn't want to be around anyone so he could re-acclimated Lance still want – needed – to see him just to know this was all real. Hunk had created some food goo that had more nutritional value than usual and Lance had almost out right begged Keith to let him be the one to deliver it. He would knock on the door and quickly make his way down the hallway and wait. Eventually Lance would be able to catch a glimpse of Shiro coming out to get his food and it was enough for him now, even if he wanted more. 

Lance is usually gone by now, but he stalls his journey down the hall with periodic stops thinking about their Paladin problem before he's placing the tray down and the door was opening before he could even stand.

It reveals Shiro in a bath towel and still nicely damp.

Lance can feel his brain crashing and its attempt to reboot as he sits there, crouched and gazing up at one of the most handsome beings he had ever seen. And he had met the Mersoa.

The reasons for his subsequent frozen-in-shock staring were from the following;

First, was seeing Shiro again at all. He had been avoiding everyone and Lance just wanted to see him because – well he loves Shiro and needed to know how he was now that they had him back safe and sound. Never seeing him only to see him now was like happening upon a rare creature.

Secondly, was because of their positions, Shiro was standing over him while he was kneeling, which went directly into the third reason.

Shiro was still wet and Lance would be lying if he said that that didn't do something to him as it kind of allowed him to see all his defined assets. Lance really wants to lick the remaining droplets off Shiro's firm pecs, impressive abs, and follow the few left down the shapely arch of his muscles dipping into his towel hiding — Mentally stomping his desire down Lance quickly clambers to his feet and continues to gap and tries to speak – like had been doing for the past few ticks – as well as retain decent eye contact. He fails spectacularly and opts for staring at the ground, sïqę flushing deep with the color of shame.

As he does he misses the slight up-turn of Shiro's lips at his whole ordeal.

"Lance." He says softly and it was so  _so_  good to hear him really speak to him again.

But that shouldn't account for his almost lewd sigh at Shiro simply saying his name. Slapping his hands over his mouth Lance looks up to meet Shiro's exhausted eyes slowly widening at his reaction. Lance tries to fix the situation and makes it ten times worst.

"Wet. I mean hot — You're — I uhh —  _Quiznak!_  I'm sorry! I should have knocked and left! I — you — ohh....."

Then a hand is cupping his left check and sending more warmth through Lance and easily silencing him. When he looks up at Shiro, deeply embarrassed, he sees something worth his casual meltdown. Apparently during his word vomit extravaganza, Shiro had started to smile. It was barely noticeable, but does wonders for him. Shiro's eyes don't seem as dull and his face seemed lighter. He was still tense, but the small action filled Lance with joy regardless.

As Shiro's fingertips slide gently down his cheek and away Lance takes a deep breath and he tries to act like he has a brain and wasn't raised by wild animals.

"Shiro how – how are you today?"

_Started off bad, but stuck the landing._

His lips quirk a bit more before he sighs, "Better."

"That's good." 

They stare at one another entranced as they search for something in the depths of the other's eyes, feeling that while they stand too close it honestly feels too far apart with both of them having too much to say, but not sure where to begin. 

"Would —"

"Do you —"

They both break off with Shiro almost grinning and Lance giving a nervous chuckle.

"You first." Lance says waving his hand towards him.

Shiro stands there with a thoughtful expression before pointing behind him, "Do you want to come in?"

Lance's eyes grow in surprise, confusion, and maybe some anticipation, but he finds himself shaking his head 'yes' before picking up the tray of food and walking inside. As Shiro changes in his bathroom Lance looks around the still impressively bare room. The only items were gifts from Pidge and him.

Pidge's was gifted with a chuck of biometal after she helped fix one of the Ritza's solar satellites to deflect the burst their twin star gave off. She kept most of it for her and Hunk to use, but had out right thrown some of it at the Black Paladin telling him to add some character to his room. He had mentally formed a nice wide greyscale scene of a bridge over a bay with the lighter colored water actually moving and crashing into the rocks and suspension bridge.

The other item was a ceremonial sword that Lance sort of got for him when the other Paladin had participated in the festivities of the freed planet of Isdali. They had just freed them from the Galra and it just happened to be before the feline-like Saqurans’ annual fair where tests of skills and other activities happened. They were asked sweetly if they would join in, which after a hard two quintants of fighting sounded like a great idea. The next quintant was filled with fun and games and he and Allura got to dress-up just like they used too when they would preside over similar events on Altea. Hunk got to explored the food stands for both the food and the machines that made them. Pidge tested her skills in a complex maze and riddle tournament, tying with a Saquran the same age as her. He and Allura were asked to sit with the ministers’ and watch the events and got to choose someone to compete in their favor. Keith and Shiro, who chose to engaged in some friendly competition became the royal siblings' 'knights' with Allura choosing Keith and Lance calling Shiro. They both make it through the competitions to the final event to joust each other which Shiro won against Keith. Lance got to bestow upon him the sword he was gifted when he and his sister first sat down, and at the time he was almost going to give Shiro a kiss on his cheek too just to be playful. Lance grins to himself as he thinks about their past adventures.

_We can make some more memories now._

Which made Lance step away from the model and sword thinking about them and wondering if Shiro would want to make more memories of just them.

_Only if he wants too._

Just then Shiro comes out of the bathroom – sadly and thankfully clothed – and Lance goes to sit down at the small table Shiro had placed in his room early on. 

"Oh."

The surprise tone has Lance looking over to see Shiro sitting on his freshly made bed looking down at the spot next to him briefly before focusing on him.

"Do you want me to sit next to you?" Lance offers softly.

"If you want to.....I wouldn't mind." Shiro says back just as quietly.

Lance moves and sits down in the open spot Shiro made for him. He can see that Shiro had chosen a different shirt instead of his usual long sleeve one. This one shows off most of his arm and his battle scars. There are three; an asymmetrical 'X' on his bicep half hidden by the shirt, three diagonal claw marks on the outside of his arm, and a long narrow one starting in his inner elbow and stopping just below his wrist. Lance makes sure to keep his staring short before looking back across the room and sitting in quiet before he decides to speaks up,

"I'm sorry for giving up." He speaks the acidic words softly, hoping that tone with ease the pain. He turns to look at him, but Shiro looks impassive to the news before giving him a jaded grin,

"It would have been easier after...." And Shiro pauses as a confused look passes over his face.

"Nine phoebs, two movements, and three quintants." Lance answers mechanically having been marking the long quintants down as they went by.

Shiro's eyes go from sorrow to gleaming with sympathy, "Yeah. I don't blame you. That – it sounds pretty hopeless. But that doesn't mean your feelings to me – if there still —" 

"They are!"

Lance shouts in a rush as he turns fully to him, reaching out for his hand and squeezing it tight, hoping Shiro believes his response.

Shiro is shocked by the outburst only to squeeze back and say softly, "They aren't any less important then."

Lance immediately let’s go of his hand to wrap this lovely forgiving man in the best hug he can give. He can hear the short huff of laughter from Shiro before he envelopes him in a hug back. 

"You're too good. Too good for me after everything." Lance whispers into his neck as he hugs Shiro tighter, cherishing the moment and not wanting to break it with declarations of love as it was still too soon and too fresh to throw his emotions onto Shiro.

Shiro slowly slides his warm hands down his back until they rest comfortably on his hips and gently pushes at them. Lance gets the message and leans back on his knees, but interlaces his fingers behind Shiro's neck so he can still be touching some part of this amazing man. He even lets his fingers glide through Shiro's extremely smooth and soft hair.

Shiro gazes at him with what Lance could only categorizes as love and feels his lips quiver with trying to keep his smile at bay.

"Hey. You deserve good. The best, and don't ever think otherwise." Shiro tells him and Lance lets the smile he was trying to hide break forth.

Leaning back into Shiro's space to rest his forehead against his Lance takes the time to enjoy looking into the tempestuous greys eyes highlighted with speckles of brown in the right light and how they tell Lance how much he's wanted.

"I'm supposed to take care of you." Lance chuckles softly.

"You are. You are." Shiro sighs, but sounds much better than before.

Even his lips turn into a brief smile only to look stern again and having Lance concern for Shiro's wellbeing again.

"There is something you can take care of for me." Shiro says seriously.

"Really? What?" Lance asks quickly, trying to push down the excitement of Shiro leaning on him for help.

"I don't think I can make an entrance without the proper accessories." He says with a smirk that has Lance quieting before smirking in turn.

"I think I can help with that."

They walk hand-in-hand to his room after Shiro finishes his bowl of food goo as he decides to just carry the water pouch with him. Shiro sits down cross-legged in front of his floor-to-almost ceiling mirror as Lance brings over his vanity chair and grabs what he needs from the bathroom. Sitting behind him Lance cracks a smile at the sight of this gorgeous specimen sitting like a child while he finishes his pouch. Throwing a towel around his shoulders Lance focuses on combing out Shiro's hair so he can distract himself from his Paladin's cute self. It doesn't take long and Lance starts to section of a piece of hair in the back before remembering Shiro's original haircut.

"So cutting your hair is easy, but do you want the undercut again?"

Shiro looks back at his reflection with a small smirk, "The way you're looking at my hair I doubt you want to do that."

Lance shrugs. His hair is great and he wants a third person added to his tiny roster of people he braids for.

"Well it looks really nice and it's super smooth – like smoother than Keith's. If I just trim it and everything it would still look nice." Lance tries to bargain as he fingers glide through other sections of Shiro's hair before sighing and starting to trim the lovely hair to give Shiro some time to think.

"But it's not practical in a helmet."

"Allura." Lance deadpans. 

Shiro calmly rolls his eyes and grins before looking back at his reflection, "Well it's been awhile since I wore it like this, I had an undercut with long hair when I was a teen."

Shiro reaches back and Lance lets him pull his hair into what would be a ponytail before bending it over again and pressing his palm onto it. Lance leans over more and rests his chin on Shiro's left shoulder and looks at his reflection. Imagining what Shiro would have looked like with that hairstyle and has a self-satisfy smirk starting to dance on his lips at how sexy he must have looked.

"I like it. Why did you get rid of it?" Lance asks softly as he lets his hands easily slide under Shiro's arms and along the ripped planes of his abdomen so he could hug him from behind.

"I stopped being a delinquent." Shiro says, like it was a valid reason to cut such beautiful hair, but lets his left hand rest on top of his own.

"Hmm too bad," Lance coos, "Next time?" He asks sweetly.

"Hmm," Shiro hums before turning slightly and saying with a smirk, "Next time."

After cuddling a bit longer Lance leans back and gets to work, but not without telling Shiro how he will miss out on his own time to have his hair braided, which Shiro laughs good-naturedly before saying he'll be around long enough for him to try it out later. That keeps Lance in a fantastic mood because Shiro just alluded that they'll be together for a long time and he literally could not be happier.

Once the hair is cut and the small cleaner robot sweep up what didn't get caught on the towel Shiro is sitting at Lance's vanity as he lines up all his colors of eyeliner in front of him so he could choose. 

"I think the indigo or purple would be nice. I would even suggest the white if you skin had a bit more sun. But then we would match and I'm not at that level yet," Lance pauses to point out the deep dark blue and a touch of white following it to the tip, "Or just solid blue, which has always been my favorite, but you know that."

"Yes, she was." Shiro says with quiet anger seeping from his words.

"Shiro?" Lance asks as he looks down at the sadden Human.

"I'm sorry."

And the sound of wholly inconsolable defeat has Lance thinking back to what he said that could've lower Shiro's spirits. Then it hits him and he waving his hands at the dejected man.

"No, it fine really. I—"

But Lance stops himself as Shiro turns and his prosthetic gently catches his wildly flaying wrist and brings it down. It makes him looks at Shiro's stern, but hurting eyes and stoic face.

"No. Don't lie to me. Please." He whispers.

Lance opens his mouth to say something else, but stops and nods softly, "It does still hurt, but she's still with me. I still go with her for flights when I can. I wish it was different, but she was right that I needed to move forward and me and Red are bonding really well." Lance says sadly, but truthfully.

Shiro gently applies pressure to his wrist and says softly, "Your father would be proud."

"Thank you." Lance whispers and leans down to give his forehead a kiss.

"As long as you're okay."

"I am," Lance answers softly as he moves his hand to squeeze Shiro's before taking it back and reaches for one of his eyeliners, "And since I'm fine I should be able to persuade you into.....maybe purple?"

But Shiro just shakes his head 'no' with a small smile, "Basic black is good."

"Killjoy," Lance scoffs with a laugh, but puts the others back in their place except for the black tube, "Good thing it works for you." 

This only garners a short set of chuckles.

As he starts applying it to his eyelids Shiro calls for his attention, "Hey Lance," Stopping so he can open his eyes Shiro glance up and deeply into Lance's own, "I – Thank you... thank you for checking on me. I'm not ready to talk but....." 

"I'll be here to listen when you are. If you ever are." Lance fills in as he trails off giving him a tiny empathetic smile.

"Yeah. Thanks again."

"Of course. Alright let’s get you ready for your public." Lance grins widely as he tilts Shiro's head up again so he can finish the rest of the wing and do the left one.

"I'm happy you're back and here with us. With me." Lance whispers as he finishes the left wing, just lost in the fact that he can be near and hold a breathing Shiro.

"I am too." Shiro says and the biggest smile since he saw him shows on his face and it gets better when he opens his eyes, looking fondly up at him.

* * *

Lance finds Shiro in uniulrium spectra sometime after the destruction of the stolen piece of Teludav sitting cross-legged and studying the stars as they pass overhead. Walking around the wide column of light to get to the large and comfortable white loveseat sized lounger. He makes no move to acknowledge Lance's presence so he walks around and sits on Shiro's left and pulls his legs up so he can hold them to his chest. They sit quietly as the next quadrant is brought into focus and the voice narrating it is so quiet Lance would have thought it was muted. Lance looks over to see if Shiro had made any other moves and when he still stares, frowning and unblinking, at the lights Lance scoots over a bit and speaks up in a light whisper.

"I'm sorry Black, well —"

"Rejected me." Comes the harsh reply and Lance bites his lip at it.

"I — yes," Lance starts, but unfurls himself to kneel by him reaching for Shiro's hand, "I'm sorry. It's not fair and you worked so hard." 

Shiro turns his hand over, but makes no move to do more than let Lance's hand rest in his, "It....It's hard, but I guess my time has passed and I need to move on. Like you.....And you need someone on ground control. Not that Coran can't do it. It’s just..."

"He's better with people and machines then battle planning." Lance finishes for him.

"Yeah." He mumbles before his frowns lightens, but is still etched on his face.

Lance leans closer and turns to stretch his legs out and sit sideways so he could be closer to Shiro, but also so Shiro could see all of him.

"Is it wrong that I'm glad you can't fight with us – not that I wanted – you're a great leader it's just that you get hurt so often and I don't know how much Keith can take it or the rest of the team." Lance says seriously.

"What about you?" Shiro asks back and Lance slides closer to hold onto his arm and rests his head on his shoulder.

"I hate seeing you hurt the most." Lance whispers, letting the fear that still followed him now leak into his words.

"Well it seems I have been put on hold so you only have to worry about me not sleeping the whole night." Shiro answers sardonically, but Lance can see he was less upset.

"As long as you try." Lance tells him.

"As long as I try." Shiro amends as he ducks his head and closes his eyes against the lights.

"I'll worry about you." Shiro says after a time, sounding just as worried as Lance did and turns to look at him with doleful concern filled eyes.

"I'll be safe," Lance tries, "I promise." 

"You can't." Shiro says stiffly and Lance knows that in this line of work that is true and Shiro is proof of that sad horrible truth. 

But that doesn't stop him from making the promise again.

"I promise Shiro." 

Shiro stares at him with such a sorrowful look that Lance just wants to hide them from the rest of the universe, but sadly the universe needs them.

Shiro doesn't say anything else as he leans back into the soft back of the lounger and brings Lance back with him as he looks up at the spectra rotating around and changing to a new system. Lance lets himself enjoy their time before leaving for the meeting he was supposed to come get Shiro for. They still have like half a varga and he was going to keep this man to himself as long as he can.

Sitting quietly in the dimly lit room with a soft ambient glow about it, it wasn't long before Lance slides his hand down Shiro's arm and they were reaching out to touch hands, intertwining like no time had pass. But Shiro keeps moving his left hand and Lance watches as Shiro bring his right hand to his lips as he closes his eyes. Gently pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles – in a ghost of the first one so many phoebs ago – Lance finds a faint smile painting his lips. But as Shiro holds his knuckles to his lips longer his face crumples a bit, his eyes squeezing tighter and his mouth drawing into a nasty frown. He opens his eyes and lays Lance's hand on his leg. Giving his thigh a comforting squeeze Lance waits for Shiro's next action, which was taking his fingerless gloves off and then reaching for Lance's elbow length ones. He looks over with questioning and timid eyes that have Lance smiling sympathetically and nodding, even helping him by holding his arms out for him. Shiro lets out a sigh of relief and quickly takes them off, setting them aside and placing a kiss his bare knuckles and his face smoothing out considerably.

But he doesn't stop there, Shiro angles his hand and presses another kiss to the base of his palm and realizing what he was doing Lance opens his hand and lets Shiro kiss his palm lightly. He presses two more kisses, one on his wrist and the other just below it, all the while Lance has shuffled back into Shiro's space and leans onto his shoulder again, enjoying the fact he was shower him with affection. Shiro continues to pepper his arm with kisses and skims his lips across his skin, but it's apparently not enough because then Shiro is turning to look down at him.

He doesn't need to speak a word. Lance can see it all in his eyes.

Pools of deep grey brightly glistening with speckles of dark brown because of the lighting display above. They conveyed so much emotions; the need, asking for support, asking if this alright, looking for more — needing more from Lance.

Reaching up with his left hand Lance deftly undoes the turquoise silk shoulder wrap around his shoulders and lays it in front of him. Shiro's whispered 'thank you' is so low that even Lance almost misses it, but Shiro pulling him into his lap says it all.

His outfit had cutouts starting at his mid-shoulder and ending at the middle of his biceps – thus the wrap – but with it gone it left more skin for Shiro to be in contact with. Lance knew this wasn't sexual at all and was more than fine with that. This was for Shiro. This was him centering himself again with skin-to-skin contact, which was something he definitely didn't have in his isolation. He wants to feel things again and Lance is happy to help.

Lance trails his hands down Shiro's arms, as he is preoccupied with his shoulders, and lets his fingers slide over his partner's and interlace with them. Lance moves and slides his fingers against Shiro's feeling the callouses be offset by smooth skin or metal. He feels a breathy and content sigh tickle the side of his neck and grins at what it means.

Shiro nips at a particular section behind his ear and it has Lance sighing deeply himself and leaning his head back onto Shiro's right shoulder, allowing him greater access to continuing kissing down behind his ear or nuzzling his cheek into Lance's shoulders. As he does Lance lets himself relax fully, resting his weight on Shiro as he brings their interlaced hands up to place a flurry of his own light kisses to both his knuckles – the flesh one first, then the metal one – before holding them over his heart. Lance turns his head slightly, loving the closeness, and gets a soft kiss to his cheek before Shiro goes back to where he started with his arm.

Lance peers through his hooded eyes and sees how much more tranquil Shiro was, how his face seem cleared of all worries and troublesome memories making him look younger. He reaches his wrist again and places another kiss there and nuzzles at the ticklish area with his nose before exhaling deeply. It sends a fantastic shiver down Lance's spine, but he also feels how the weight of worlds had just been lifted off Shiro's shoulder in that single sigh. All the tension Lance had felt around him was simply gone and they somehow sink deeper into the lounger, savoring this time together as a result.

Lance basks in the jubilant feeling of being reunited with his love and Shiro relaxes truly with the warm human contact he desperately craved with one of the most important people on this ship to him. Above them the universe augments and shines brightly and faintly like a moon's waxing. But they pay no mind. To them, they are in their own universe with both of them valuing the other as the most important thing in it at this moment.

And beyond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all don't understand how close – So close you all were to getting long hair!Shiro. So goddamn close, but I caved!


	4. The Greatest Show in the Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They wanted planets to join their coalition in a fight that concerns all of them.  
> Lance just loves the spotlight.  
> And Coran..... Well Coran is starting to weird them all out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So double lines mean far back flashbacks now.
> 
> Also describing clothes is hard so to give you all an idea of what I'm referring to for Allura's outfit google 'jumpsuit with train'.

Taking Coran's colorful and descriptive rules, along with the actually lines, they worked out the when, who, how, and where for their mall event in only fifteen doboshes. As Coran sets the stage for their entrance everyone runs to their spot. When the music starts he and Allura burst through the curtains to start backflipping and cartwheeling to their spots, striking a pose with their arms out at an angle. Only a moment later does Pidge land beside them and Hunk roughly rolls onto stage. Shiro jumps down from above, spins in midair, and backflips into the space between him and his sister resting his right hand on his hip and points out into the crowd with his left, calling out in his leader voice,

"Your time's up, monster!"

As the crowd claps and cheers Lance smiles having a good feeling that this new show Coran had was going to go well.     

* * *

* * *

"What if we do like some show or something?" Lance throws out as he stretches, wishing they were sitting for this meeting.

Learning forward to stretch out his back he let his arms drop down and as he stands up he lets his fingers trail across Allura's soft skirt. As they had created a stronger foothold in the newer conquered quadrants Allura allowed herself to relax some and showed it in her wardrobe. Her outfit today looked like her flightsuit, but more tempered in the way that there were cutouts at her waist and a modest opening on her back. The opening showed off her swirling pink markings that rested on the back of her shoulders and just below the waist cutouts was where her ruffled pale pink train started. It was a very calming outfit with hints of deep green at her shoulders, wrists, waist, and ankles with the rest having sections of white and pink. If he remembers correctly this is one of her spring outfits.

"Really? That's ridiculous." Keith scoffs at him.

It had been a couple movements since Shiro was back with them and their official ground control, in that time he had tallied or done something to get a survey of their support and of people's willingness to fight. It wasn't low by any means, but it could be better if more people decided to follow so Voltron could easily wipe out forces that were already weakened. Right now they were trying to figure out a way to boost the numbers, but no one had decided on anything yet.

"You haven't given any ideas," Lance grumbles back," And saying people 'just should' is not going to help." Lance tacks on quickly when he sees Keith about to fight back against it.

Keith closes his mouth and it becomes a tight lipped frown as he turns away only to turn back again, but Pidge has it covered.

"And not doing anything to keep people motivated doesn't work either." She says bring up the other point Keith made about how people should because they know about Voltron.

Keith throws his hands up in silent rage before hunching over and crossing his arms. Hunk closes the distance between them and gives him a pat on the back, which Keith aggressively leans into the other teen's side and touch. But Hunk takes it in stride and quietly tries to explain to Keith why his ideas are okay, but not the best since sometimes people need to be inspired.

"Well," and everyone turns to Shiro, "It does have merit. Showing a more tamed and friendly side of ourselves will entertain and show them what we're capable of and present a friendly side of us that not everyone gets to see. Like an air show." He says, slowly nodding to himself like he realizes what Lance was suggesting.

Lance wasn't really thinking like that, he just wanted to throw something funny out to see if he could jump start this boring meeting with some humor.

"Exactly! Completely my thoughts." Lance lies through a lovely smile directed to his left that Shiro returns with his own smaller one.

"Urgh!" And at the sound Lance turns to Allura who is massaging her temples before sighing angrily, "It's just like your mid-years again."

Lance starts to grin at that because he had completely forgotten about that.

"What happened during your mid-years?" Hunk asks looking up from their moody friend.

"The most  _dazzling_  time of my life."

"The most  _antagonizing_  time of my life."

They answer in time. Allura frowns so hard he's afraid her face might get stuck like that. He on the other hand posed like his public always loved.

"It was quite the...," And Coran cuts himself short as he and Allura look over intensely at their advisor, trying to will him to agree with them on their point with the nonverbal cues. But he takes a third route and opts out, "the time. The public did enjoy seeing the display."

With a few taps of his fingers Coran is replacing Shiro's charts and data with pictures of a young him dressed in an acrobats' sleeveless one piece suit. It would change depending on what he felt so he had a large number of different colored suits in the photos each with him doing a different trick, dancing, or creating magical images in the air. Some were of him also sitting with his parents and an unamused Allura taking a picture with the family or group hosting the party.

_I was so quiznaking adorable when I was little._

"Oh. My. Gosh! You were adorable." Hunk says as he moves closer to aww at the photos.

"Actually kinda cute actually." Pidge says with a playful smirk directed at him.

"My hotness had to start somewhere." Lance replies and Pidge just rolls her eyes.

Keith hums and calls him passable like the jerk he is. But he's still wallowing in his defeat so Lance will let it go. This time. 

"I think the green headband was a better color."

Lance is struck by that simple comment and his smile goes weak at the corners as he turns to look at Shiro and hopefully hide what he was feeling at that slip up. Shiro seems to realize it too as his eyes widen marginally before he's looking towards him subtlety only to turn his head completely away from him.

"He was more like a smug little —" Allura starts and gives Lance the perfect opportunity to buried the awkwardness that he and Shiro were starting to exhibit.

"Hey! No need to be mean," Lance cuts in loudly, "And anyway I was quite versed in my magic even then and would give shows at festivals or the occasional ball or gala. Everyone gave me great reviews, they were practically glowing." Lance smirks flashing his blinding white teeth.

" 'Our little showman'," Allura mocks sounding similar to Mother, "Puh–lease. These shows just inflated your ego and if we do something like this again it will be like last time and you will be insufferable." She complains as she pops one hip to the side and rest her hands on her hips.

"Jealous Llura Lulu." Lance taunts backs.

"Annoyed A'lanor." Allura counters through gritted teeth and Lance knows he's won because he sees her left eye twitching, signifying she was at the end of her patience with him. 

She bares her teeth a few ticks longer before giving up.

"Argh! Do what you want." And with that annoyed huff she dramatically grabs the edge of her half skirt and whips it around like a cape – purposefully smacking Lance in the leg – and stomps off the bridge.

_I am just killing it on every front._

The rest of them stay to figure out the rest of the schematics for their air show before they're dispersing too do their own thing. Coran had to leave suddenly to help with a refugee issue leaving the pictures of itty bitty him still on the screens. Lance hadn't a problem of taking them down and putting the charts back up when Shiro asked since he was too afraid to accidentally erase anything. Lance was going to leave, but he spins back around at the last dobosh to walk back to Shiro.

"So you saw." It's less of a question and not particularly an accusation, but it's still a pretty heavy comment.

Shiro turns and solemnly nods, "Yes. It was after the mission with Ulaz. I just went down to use the deck to forget and ... I saw you."

"All of that was so long ago." Lance hears himself says as he presses his fingers into his left wrist.

"I was planning on never saying anything. This is all a very difficult time in your life and I didn't want to add anything else with asking questions that shouldn't be." Shiro says softly as he walks over and takes hold his fingers and pulls them away gently.

Lance watches as he rubs small calming circles onto the back of his hands before turning them over and doing the same to his palms. He finally looks up and the soft concern he's met with has him smiling again.

"Thank you." 

"I get it Lance. And I told you I wouldn't push you unless it's needed and this is more personal so it's fine. I won't push." Shiro says with a kind grin that has him looking away bashfully.

And while Shiro's right that the team doesn't need to know, he is in some semblance of a relationship with Shiro and even if nothing is officially official yet – because Lance is letting Shiro go at his pace – he doesn't want to mess it up before it even begins. So taking a deep breath he centers himself and turns back to Shiro.

"Actually.....Actually there is something else I need to tell you about that." He forces the sticky words out of his throat.

"You don't —" Shiro tries, but Lance shakes his head 'no'.

"Yes I do. Because it's for  _us_." Lance says, hoping Shiro hears the emphasis he placed on the word 'us'.

He looks at him with a look that conveys his wariness, but it smooths out and he eventually nods his head. Using his hold on his hand Shiro gently guides Lance over to the edge of the platform to sit and doesn't let go of his right hand, squeezing it in comfort.

"What is it that you need to tell me?" Shiro asks calmly and waits for his response.

"I need to tell you why I couldn't believe that you wanted me and that everything worked out this second time," Pulling on the courage and strength he needed to want to make this relationship work he firmly made his statement, "I ..... I need to tell you who I used to love and about my engagement."

* * *

* * *

"And I was going to have you be called Lover Boy Lance, but after the last show I'm thinking Prince in Distress A'lanor." Coran says excitedly after telling everyone else their stage names.

Lance shoots off the couch at that and struggles to get any words out. The last show didn't even have him in a perilous situation. He just happened to not notice a chip in the ice – that they swore was clean! – and Shiro reached out and with some grace that Lance couldn't replicate at the time, since he was already pitching forward, grabbed his forearm and spun him into his chest catching him at an angle and accidentally dipping him as well. All in all when Lance watched the review of the show he could see Coran's idea take hold especially with him saying over the mic in a downright sensual voice,

 _'Thanks for the save there hero.'_

That doesn't means he wants this nickname.

"Excuse me?" He finally says, still kind of at a lost to do anything else.

"Hmm, I never thought of that, but it's kind of true." Pidge says as she leans back and place hier fist under her chin in an inquisitive thinking pose.

"What? Why?!" Lance cries, turning to her in dismay. 

If anyone had the facts for keeping his stage name 'prince in distress' she did.

"Well of the royalty we've had to save it's been your six times to your sister's one." Pidge replies matter of factly and has Lance pausing his ensuing tirade.

"Really?" He asks, seriously perplexed about these six times.

But Pidge is there again with the evidence, counting down on her fingers, "First was when Sendak blew up the crystal. The second was when Sendak almost jettison you into space and Keith saved you —"

"What!" Allura and Shiro yell in tandem as they turn two furious glares his way.

Looking straight ahead Lance tries focusing on anything that wasn't the glares of fierce concern and disappointment from the two most important people to him in the universe, since he never really told them about being stuck in an airlock.

"I could have saved myself if the control panel hadn't electrocuted me." Lance tries to sidestep the issue and makes it worse.

"You were electrocuted!?" They yell again sounding angrier.

"Or when Nyma handcuffed you to a tree," Hunk add unhelpfully, "Then Keith saving you from the druids." 

"Or the stealth mission you went on with the Blade of Marmora and you sprained your ankle and Kolivan had to carry you back." Pidge says with a wide smug grin.

"No-No. No. That doesn't count. I was in trouble,  _but_  I didn't get caught, I got the data, and I crawled almost all the way through the vents to get back." Lance argues, trying to forget how he tripped down three unseen steps and did that to himself. Keith made snide remarks the whole time as they went up the last three levels it took to leave the underground base.

"Yeah I know. But, it's funny how it happened and that he carried you entire way back." Pidge smirks.

"Oh what about —" Hunk starts, but Lance stops that because if they're going chronologically he knows where this is headed and he's shutting it down now.

"If you're about to say Kellös that definitely doesn't count." He says sternly, but everyone else reaction says something differently.

Except for Shiro, who is as sweet as a kitten, and looks sympathetic to Lance's plight.

_He is definitely getting kisses for that later._

Pidge raises a single eyebrow, "Well you said 'save me' and swooned – twice – so I think it counts." Pidge mocks him and gives him a look asking him to refute it.

So he does.

"I SAVED MYSELF! I SAVED ALL OF YOU!" Lance shouts.

Hunk bites his lip as he tries not to laugh at his outburst – the traitor – and Pidge just shakes her head.

"Yeah, but Shiro lost his shirt for you soo..." Pidge points out.

"But... but I lost all my armor. I was changed! For a sacrifice!" Lance tries again not even sure what battle he's fighting now.

"Last I checked buddy, you still have that outfit and are trying to find a good reason to wear it again." Hunk chuckles lightly adding fuel to the flame.

Lance can't help crossing his arms and silently fuming as he turns away.

"It's a nice outfit." He mutters and Allura laughs out right at him.

"This is what you deserve."

"Laugh it up Keith." He snipes and gets another hostile growl from her.

They stare off, even getting into each other's space as the try to seem more imposing than the other until Coran comes crashing in and deflating everything.

"Don't be down chump," He says cheerfully as he holds him close, "because we can't have someone in distress if we don't have a hero."

Bounding over to where Shiro had moved to when he and Allura were having their silent sibling spat Coran throws his arms out in a flourish and announces in an ostentatious voice, "Introducing last, but certainly not the least. Shiro, the Hero!"

Lance purses his lips as he looks at an awkwardly fidgeting Shiro and honestly he isn't opposed to being held in Shiro's amazingly strong and warm arms. That make him feel safe whenever Shiro wraps them around him. Or how the man dwarfs him and make him feel small, but secure when he leans back against that wide chest and those pecs. Quiznak! Those pecs.

"This has sated me for now, but we will be discussing this later." Lance points at Coran, but the smile he gives him tells Lance that somehow he wasn't going to get his way.

 

Shiro sighs as he all but flops into his seat at their conference table. The others weren't here yet so Shiro stretched and popped his shoulders before slouching and enjoy the quiet before they come in. They needed to discuss where they were going next, along with the support they were getting and go over two Blade reports Keith had sent them. Sighing again Shiro stands up and starts pulling up the slightly curved screens and a map of the area they were working with. As he did he actually took a moment to think back on their first show of 'prince in distress' and how it wasn't as bad as Shiro though it would be. With how flamboyant Coran had been acting for the past two weeks he had assumed it would be like a retelling of a fairytale. Instead it was more like the last times Lance had been caught, with Lance trying to do something to help or save someone and then getting capture. Though Lance had somehow gotten part of what he wanted which was the title Lover Boy, but after three shows the next would be a prince-in-distress.

Shiro was very much considering talking to Coran about it since Lance was still miffed about being seen that way. No one wanted to be seen as weak. Especially by friends and most of the universe. He knows Pidge was just joking, but he's seen how Lance takes things to heart readily, making side comments that have him worrying about Lance on his own worth.

But a little selfishly Shiro doesn't mind being Lance's hero. It would give him unlimited access to hold Lance and he did for ten whole minutes, and as of right now they are the best ten minutes of his day. His – well they hadn't figured what they were yet, but Lance was with him – so he was fine if they didn't have a label yet as they had been taking it slow too. Which has been great because they had gotten closer over the past two and half months he had been back. Shiro was really thankful to Lance and it cemented it even more in his mind that he had made the right choice to kiss Lance that day. Even if the aftermath wasn't everything they wanted, but what mattered now was that they were happy. But either way Lance didn't look as thrilled after doing the show even though he presented such a believable performance. Shiro wants to be his hero, but only when Lance needs him because honestly Lance has performed some pretty awesome feats and saved himself just fine. When Shiro mentioned how he deflated after the show Lance just shrug and said it was the best he could get and he kind of didn't way to crush Coran's ideas after all the good they did and the fun the advisor was having. Though Allura was also already teasing him about it too, so of course Shiro wants to do something to help. 

Sooner than he thought everyone starts to walk into the room and take their seats and he makes his way to his. Except for an excitable Coran who is already halfway out of his.

"We're going to the Rivjfi system next and tonight was one of the highest viewings we've had since we started! We're trending all over the spectrum-net! But we can be better!" Coran jumps from his seat and leans across the table looking expectantly at Lance, "Sure I can't wiggle in a second quintant?"

"No." Lance answers briskly with a frosty glare.

Shiro pats his leg in support and smiles when Lance stops frowning and turns to give Shiro a crooked grin as he rest his hand on top of his.

"Well then we need something more dynamic, captivating, alluring! See what I did there?" As he spoke he popes up after each adjective behind Hunk, Pidge, and then slides across the table to stand next Allura with a very proud smirk.

"Marvelous." Allura growls as the muscles in her face twitch erratically.

"Getting that Keith impresion down great." Coran smiles wider and gives the princess finger guns.

"Hmm." She grunts, clearly disgruntled. 

But Coran pays no mind clapping his hands together and looks around the table shouting, "So ideas! Ideas anyone!"

It's quiet for a bit and Shiro is about to suggest maybe a speech after the show, but Lance speaks up before him look just as energized as Coran and any pouting from before is gone.

"Coran! The silks!" Lance exclaims looking almost manic with giddy.

"No." Allura saye dryly, but it's overshadowed by Coran's booming 'yes'. Spinning in a circle Coran makes Jazz hands at a self-satisfied Lance.

"That's what I'm talking about!"

Hunk raises his hand and asks, "Uhm...the... silks?" Looking around for someone to answer, but instead they get more cryptic answers from the royal siblings. 

And sadly Shiro was sitting in the middle of it as the siblings closed in on each other in a battle of words.

"It'a just a little something I took up to prove to myself I could do it." Lance answers with an airy tone.

"To impress and tease others." Allura irritatedly supplies as she looks around Shiro to stare at Lance with a judgmental look.

"A simple byproduct. Harmless really." Lance says with a dangerous smile telling Shiro he did the opposite.

"I saw letters that said otherwise." Allura mutters, the look become more irked with every second.

"What are you jealous?"

"What you did? Hardly. That skill isn't really useful."

"You never know."

Shiro is sure he could almost see the sparks flying between the two as Lance's smirk turns into a wide superior grin and Allura's glare intensifies as her lips pull down in a nasty frown. But thankfully Allura leans back first with a long-suffering sigh, stopping Shiro from speaking up and being dragged in to this face-off.

"This will backfire." Allura sneers.

But Lance doesn't care and just waves his hand dismissively, "Too late. I've already decided. I need to find mine here or get some made. I'm definitely going to need a new suit."

"Silks? Anyone?" Hunk ask again while Pidge just slouches in her chair uninterested in everything. 

"I'll get right on it," Coran smiles before sliding across the table again for the door. He stops to lean out of it and yell, "We are going to dazzle them so hard they'll go blind!"

Then he runs out at top speed leaving the conference room unbelievably silent that the static in Shiro's ears sting. He chances a questioning look at Allura wondering if she'll fill him in, but all he gets is her disappointed glare.

"You'll see and regret it immediately," Only then her eyes widen before an expression he can't read comes over her face and she says in a less upset tone, "Actually  _you_  might not." She says almost devious.

Shiro wanted to ponder what that meant, but instead of letting his mind run wide he cleared his through and started detailing how the Ypri and Fwe quadrants were ramping up enrollment and support supplies in the past week.

* * *

It was another week before the silks make an appearance and it was one of their night show. He, Pidge, and Hunk were all standing off to the side of the stadium waiting for their call since this story Coran cooked up started with Lance and 'Keith' Allura waiting on a planet for the rest of them. 

"All was quiet one the planet of Trei where the Red and Blue Paladins had just landed waiting for their team." Coran's voice settles over the building causing everyone to immediately quiet down.

Allura's voice comes from off stage somewhere next, "Ugh! Where is that Blue Paladin. We need to be ready for when the others get here."

Behind the scenes in the tunnel Hunk and Pidge were still trying to figure out what the 'silks' in question were.

"Maybe it's like the ribbon twirling we did. Oh! Or it could be —"

"Or maybe it's aerial silk dancing."

Shiro's head snaps back to his unobstructed view of the Red Lion and feels his jaw drop and his throat go dry as he watches the simply magnificent display before him. And when that wasn't enough he turned to the small screen they had that showed them what the viewing audience on other planets saw.

Coming down on a single long wide length of black silk and standing out in a full navy jumpsuit was Lance. The suit had a high collar and a diamond back cutout showing off just the hint of his lower markings. It was sleeveless and was accompanied with navy forearm gloves. There seem to be some sections of sheerness on the legs and near his hips, but also a sky blue ribbon belt resting on his hips not getting tangled in any of his gracefully movements. Shiro hasn't allowed himself to wholly watch Lance uninterrupted since accidentally seeing him get dressed for the mall. He can barely hear the cheers and catcalls, the dialogue between Lance and 'Red', or the discussion between Pidge and Hunk because all his focus is on each gliding or swift move having Lance bending in a way that Shiro wants to know if Lance will let him bend him like that.

"Fuck."

Just falls out of his mouth in awe as Lance finally reaches the bottom in an upsidedown pose reaching down and going into a handstand and untwisting the fabric from his bare left foot gracefully and bending back to do a fluid backflip and stand cockily with a cheeky grin painting his lips.

"Ahem!"

The sharp point of Pidge's elbow connects with his side and jerks him out of his Lance filled fantasy, which was very much verging on not safe for work. Looking over he wished the helmets were tinited like their first bonding excrise so neither of them could see his burning cheeks. Pidge's smile is almost Grinch in likeness just like the one Matt would get when he would tease him. But before anything could be said Pidge's eyes widen and she turning to the screen. Taking the reprieve Shiro turns to it too and watches as Allura stomps out in Keith's jacket.

"This. This is the best thing ever." Pidge snickers.

"What are you doing?" Allura asks, the anger in her tone is very real.

"Relax Keith. I'm just waiting for the others and what better way than with some training. I have to be nimble in a fight," And the he's turning like he knows where one of the cameras is. Like he know Shiro is watching and smirks, "And for all the ladies and  _men_  out there too. Everyone like someone willing to be spontaneous."

And with a flirty wink the crowd is off with cheers and screams again and Shiro feels like he's been shot in the heart. And it feels great!

"Hey, you okay there Shiro?" Hunk asks actually looking worried where Pidge looks thrilled.

"I — he — that — what?"

And all Shiro can really do in his speechless stupor was makes motions that he hope Hunk understood was meant to explain Lance's flexibility. Sure he had heard about it when Lance bragged and had seen him do the split to dodge an attack once, but seeing him in action was something else.

But he wasn't looking at Hunk, more focused on how Lance's clothes clung to him, that the other looks down to Pidge and her little gremlin smile spread to him. He still doesn't even notice when Hunk walks around to be on his other side. And as they tease him he's stuck between looking back and forth;

"Oh yeah. Lance is flexible. Probably more than you." Hunk says like he's just talking about the weather. 

"Definitely. Lance is super bendy." Pidge adds.

"I don't think he has any bones in his body sometimes." Hunk follows up.

"We do yoga in the morning sometimes when we don't have training and I've seen him bend himself in half and do the splits." Pidge says tauntingly as she stares Shiro straight in the eyes. 

"You— it's — you are the worst." Shiro settles on causing both to laugh.

"You make it too easy. Lance is the only one that makes you all flustered."

"Just watch the show. We need to —"

Just then the extras pretending to be sentries appear and Lance and Allura fall into a fighting stance only for them to glow brightly blue and when it fade they are in their Paladin armor. They all stare, mouths agape as they all have the same epiphany, but only Pidge announces.

"Oh my God we're Power Rangers."

"I have fulfilled Iolana's childhood dream. I can't tell her or she'll kill me."

"What about you Shiro? Anything to say."

Shiro momentarily checks out again, ignoring Pidge, as he mentally did a victory dance about this new revelation.

_I'm a Power Ranger! Not really, but really. Calm down Takashi it's not that big of a deal. You are a leader of ..... I'm the leader. I'm the ...Leader. I'm basically the Red Ranger! Suck it Koji and Jake! And take that Halloween of 2035! I'm the true Red Ranger now!_

"Voltron is a highly serious machine. I mean I could see the similarities since we each have are own special Lion like a Zord and it forms a giant robot, but it stops there." Shiro calmly disagrees as he fights down his happy manic grin with a deep breath.

"We have color cordinated armor and are call Red, Black, or Green Paladin. Like Red, Black, or Green Ranger. And we have are own special weapons." Pidge says as her face twists up in confusion.

"And whenever we need help we get a weapon or ability upgrade like they would throughout the series." Hunk adds which has Shiro pausing in conflict.

"... Yes, but —"

"Paladins! Go!" Coran's voice echoes in the tunnel and they take off to help fight the fake sentries.

Which Shiro was very thankful for because he really didn't want to try and explain why Voltron wasn't Power Ranger-like and end up proving he liked it a lot more and give these two more ammunition.

"Let's go." Shiro says as he jogs out of the tunnel.

"This isn't over Shiro!" Pidge calls out. She was as relentless as her brother.

When it's over and they had 'defeated' Zarkon again they gathered in the arena's green room. As Shiro turns back to Lance he was surprised to see him and Allura in the clothes they were in before.

"How does he move around in this thing?" Allura huffs as she takes off the jacket as she sits down.

But as she folds it neatly in her lap it's obvious that her actions are quite different from her words.

"How did you change back?" Shiro asks as he looks up and down Lance's stunning outfit.

With a secretive grin and a wave of his left hand both he and his sister are suddenly in the armor and then not again.

"A mirage." Shiro says in awe throughly impressed with Lance's abilities once again.

"So cool." Hunk gasps as Pidge nods her head with a calculating glance. Shiro is sure she going to have Lance show her the full range of this power later.

Shiro closes the distance between them and places a gentle kiss on Lance's cheek and watches with a smile as he looks over in shock holding his left cheek only for a wide grin to break out as he beams at Shiro's small display of PDA. Lance bounces on his tip toes and loops his arms around his shoulders and Shiro lets himself be brought down a few inches for a return kiss on his right cheek.

They sit on the rounded couch together with everyone else – space seemed to like circular couches a lot – and Pidge starts asking why Lance knows how to aerial silk dance. He tells her about the core strength building, how it helped with flexibility, and how it was good for upper body and climbing.

"And the outfit?" Pidge asks.

"That's just because." Lance grins.

"Only you would parade around in that. What did Coran say about that?" Pidge probes.

And Pidge had a point about the suit. She was probably thinking back to how Coran took of his jacket and threw it around Lance when they were leaving Kellös. Coran was a lot more protective of Lance which was saying something with how protective of Allura he was.

"If he's not going to say anything then I'm just going to embrace this." Lance says leaning back against the couch looking extremely smug.

Pidge studies him before looking at him with a playfully reproached look, "You really are a great role model for children."

"I'm inspiring them to be more flexible." Lance answers back seamlessly.

"And their future partners thank you." Pidge's blasé tone has both Allura and Hunk giggling.

And Lance smirks like a well feed cat and turns to lays his legs over Shiro's. He looks to the prince and Shiro see how he's trapped and can't help but to swallow as the smirk is turned on him. Shiro smiles back awkwardly not knowing what to expect next.

* * *

After a month and a half of shows, eight having aerial silks, and a ridiculously dangerous finale the number of rebel supporters had reached a quota higher than what Shiro knew would be more than necessary to take back this third of the empire. Coran while still looking apologetic about his actions and his recent blow-up at Bii-boh-bi the small smile that grace his face as he looks at the universal diagram seems to calm him down more. Before anything else can be said a message chimes off and a Blade of Marmora symbol appears in the left hand corner before opening. But instead of it being in Galra script that the Castle would immediately translate it was already in English.

"Hey it's Keith!" Hunk says excitedly and everyone quickly jumps up to read the letter he's sent this time.

When he escaped from the Galra again and found out Keith had taken over piloting Black Shiro was proud. It was weird not to be the head of Voltron, but Shiro knew it was time to change and did his best to provide the team with the information and support so his friends would come back safe. But Keith – Keith had started drifting away, planning more missions with the Blade than helping their friends build up the coalition. He had hoped to talk to him about it, but sadly the rush in which he had to rebond with Black and help save the others and Keith's departure afterwards left little time. He only had the time to wish him luck and to take care of himself.

But Keith was still finding himself, and even though war wasn't the best place to he was going to trust Keith's decision and support him. And it seemed to be the right decision because Keith started sending messages. It started as a small note at the end of a mission report and Hunk immediately told them they needed to send a message back so Keith didn't feel left out. Shiro was shocked at what Hunk said only to be really touched by his care for Keith and saw how much everyone really missed him too. Immediately he started writing down the well-wishes everyone was calling out before sending it off. And low and behold Keith sent a longer message at the end of his next mission report. In his own way he was opening up more and was slowly finding his niche, answering more questions about how everything was going and his humor was a bit more prevalent as well. Shiro still missed him, but he was glad he was feeling useful to the cause and was being more true to himself and in a way sharing more with his friends.

"Hahahahah!"

"That is so rude!"

Shiro blinks and looks over to where Hunk was laughing, Lance and Pidge were giggling, and Coran was patting an aghasted Allura on the back – all of this caused by what was on the screen. Turning to the screen Shiro quickly reads Keith's message and raises his natural hand to cover his mouth as he tries not to laugh. Keith tells them how funny he thought all the acts were, but enjoyed watching their entertaining performances and how he's glad it helped a lot with recruitment. But what gets everyone was the P.S. that read;

_Allura didn't frown nearly enough (︶︹︶)_

The little drawing is what got Shiro because he had never seen something like that from Keith and it just made him smile.

"I'll have him know I frown plenty. I'm sure I have wrinkles from acting like him." Allura defends herself setting off another round of soft chuckles.

"Obviously you're doing it wrong if you're  getting lines considering he does it and his face is flawless." Lance teases her back.

And faster than Shiro can blink she has him in a headlock and is ruffling his curly hair into a rat's nest.

"ACK! Help!"

Shaking his head Shiro grabs Hunk's shoulders and turns him towards the roughhousing royals because he's going to need a lot of muscle if he's going to save his prince this time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly it was seeing a gif of Lance silk dancing that had me finally deciding to watch Voltron and the amount of laughing and gut-retching feels I've gotten from this amazing show was worth it.


	5. Castle Vlog (Multi)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Voltron Alliance calls for a celebration after their successful campaign and reclaiming a third of the Galra Empire in the name of freedom.  
> The royal siblings are thrilled, the Paladins get capes, and Shiro and Lance have a dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to try to explain the clothes as best as I can, but I apologize in advance if there is confusion. Also the links are mostly aids except for Pidge's. And I know Shiro's Japanese I just really like the third outfit on the link, but I'm adding Japanese attributes to it.

_A startled gasp rips out of Lance before he shivers in disgust, "Do you feel that?" He asks._

" _What? "Shiro questions._

_"That wave of darkness." Allura answers hauntingly and confirms his fears before he feels something gliding over and through him without his consent._

_From the labored breathing he can hear from Allura he knows she can feel the same. Soon everyone feels something as they call through the comms about their Lions._

" _What is that?" Hunk asks in awe.  
_

_"This is definitely the witch's doing! The energy we felt. This has to be the source." Lance says grimly.  
_

_"This facility — it looks Altean." Shiro comments as he looks around the large domed room.  
_

_"I'm afraid you're correct, Shiro." Allura says as she walks down the stair towards the glowing power source._

_"This is a decommissioned Altean terraforming plant." Lance says in wonder looking around, having not seen one in an age._

_"Somehow, the witch has been able to reactivate it remotely." Allura confirms.  
_

_"Can you shut it down?" Shiro asks.  
_

_The royal siblings look to each other before looking back to Shiro with a determined gaze._

_"We can try."_

_They reach the hands out and pull on their energy it starts to mingle with the foreign sick energy, but then all they know is edge racked pain as the machine fires back._

 

_"Allura! We can get us out of here."_

_"I – I don't know. I wasn't trained. Not like you."_

_"No one trained you to save the Balmera, but you did it. I know you can do it. You can help. That's why Blue choose you. You help bring people together. You brought the team together. And you've always been there for us. You're the heart of Voltron now."_

_"...Alright. Let's do this!"_

 

_As they break free of Naxzela's influence Allura appears on his channel screen with a grateful smile._

_"Thank you Lance."_

_"Hey, I couldn't have done it without you."_

 

 

"Princess Allura and Prince A'lanor of the late planet Altea." The voice wraps around their names in an unwanted embrace, ending it with a dangerous smile that would have a Tyzeir's grin seem tamed.

Even though they were ready and expecting him still hearing his silvery dulcet tone rubs both royals the wrong way as they suppress their shudders; Allura standing straighter and Lance clutching his helmet tighter. They watch as Keith and Matt walk him forward in standard cuffs that any Galra should be able to at least crack. It was a test Allura wanted to give the prince and him not even trying to brake them signified two things; one that he wanted something and two he was willing to play the long game.

"I commend you on your coalition's efforts. Using my father's single focus mindset to achieve your goals. Brilliant."

"It was not merely us. It was a team effort that brought part of your empire's collapse." Allura states flatly.

"With your rousing speech," Lotor adds with an almost appreciative smile, "I heard what the two of you said to inspire the masses. It was... invigorating."

Lotor grins as he gazes – no, leers at her dragging his dangerous eyes up and down her form before staring into her eyes with vague respect as Allura stares back with a challenge.

"Something you severely lack." Lance calls out and watches as Allura minutely turns to him, likely furious that he directed Lotor attention elsewhere, but he couldn't take him scrutinizing her like a prize. Lotor was already planning something when he did. He could tell.

"Yes of course," And after a terrifying amount of time of staring at Lance directly he starts to look at him as well, evaluating and finding something he likes if the slight upturn of his lips says anything. Lance subtly angles himself away, but still stares straight forward, "A team effort. Having one that you can truly rely on seems much harder to find these quintants. You've done well for yourself. True fighting spirit was shown today." Lotor grins again.

At that Keith tenses and even Matt looks away drawing everyone's attention.

"They do have that now." Pidge says in a defiant tone.

But as Lotor continues to stare directly at Lance he watches as the Galra's smirk changes into a full smile, showing perfectly straight and perfectly sharp teeth. All with horrible intent.

"But this one in particular." And turning to his right his gazes settles on Keith who turns away while also gripping Lotor's arm tighter, yet it does nothing to effect the smile.

"Why?" Lance asks, taking the obvious bait.

"Your other Paladin here was going to sacrificed his life to crash into the shield barrier keeping the rest of your ships from doing any damage to the Witch's vessel. The explosion would have been enough for at least two to get in at least."

Allura looks to him in shock, but Lance turns to his right to see how Shiro was handling this information. He looks undisturbed and doesn't move a muscle like a strong leader would, but Lance could see the fear, the anger, and the disbelief in his eyes and knew he was fighting with himself to keep himself from reacting in any way.

"We've heard enough of this. Holt. Help me with the prisoner." Shiro intoned, not letting any of the conflict he was dealing with bleed into his words.

Keith drops his hand like he was touching a heated power coil and Shiro takes up his place, turning to the elevator in the hanger they walk away with the dethrone prince and they all watch as the doors closes taking Shiro and Matt down to the holding cells.

Left in the deafening silence they all look back to Keith as he stands there, alone, using his longer hair to his his face. But Lance can see him starting to shake.

"Keith?" Allura asks quietly, taking only a step towards him before the shaking gets worst and he knees give out.

Allura rushes to him and catches him before he falls and bring them to the floor carefully. Hunk and Pidge immediately start going toward him too, but Lance had seen this before in the hospital wards and knew too many people would be too much.

Stepping in front of the other Humans Lance holds his hands out stopping Hunk, who looks like he's debating about pushing Lance aside.

"Wait. Just wait." He says softly.

Hunk doesn't push against his hands anymore, but he still looks determined to move forward so Lance keeps them there as he turns around to look at the scene behind him. Keith was held Allura's armor in a death grip as she held him gently and rubbed wide gentle circles to his back. He doesn't know if the others can hear, but he can. He hears Keith's hyperventilating and it hurts to hear someone so calm fall apart. And it's even worst when it's a friend.

"I – I didn't, but – There wasn't – there wouldn't – and you'd – dead! – Shiro would be dead and, and, and, and —"

"Shh. Shh. You're okay now. We're all okay. You're okay. Just breath. In out, in out. Follow my heart beat. We're okay and you're okay."

When Lance can see that most of the shaking had subsided with Allura's gentle pats and cooing he steps back and let's Hunk and Pidge immediately run over and slide to their knees beside Allura and Keith, pulling them into a hug. Lance follows suit with a sad smile wrapping his arms around Keith's waist and dropping his head on his other shoulder since Allura had taken the other.

"Don't ever do something that reckless again... Don't you know that's my job." Lance whispers.

The bark of laughter was jarring, but it kept going, alternating between watery hip-cups and cut-off chuckles as Keith hugs everyone tighter as he nods his head.

"I'm serious," Lance says before hugging him tighter and saying quietly, "I'm glad you're okay."

 

He's not sure when they end up in the lounge and as everyone continues to cuddle pile him he doesn't care. It was nice, beyond nice, though it was embarrassing when they all started complimenting him.

"Who would I make extra treats for and have ridiculous philosophical discussions with dude? We need you."

"Yeah, I need my helper, you can reach things I can't. Or you'll just climb for it. Plus, you're the only other one with my level of sass and skill at video games. You can't leave me now."

"You have such a strong spirit and a willingness to help others and I have found such a kindred spirit in you and enjoy spending time with you. I treasure our friendship."

"You're my friend, mildly less awesome than me, but that doesn't change that I really like having you around. We've bonded. We can't break that up now."

And it didn't get any better when Shiro and Matt came back. Everyone immediately left him out in the open to get smacked on the back of the head, twice, only for them wrap him up in the tightest hug they could muster. Keith feels so bad for making them worry and even worse for Shiro, who he can feel is shaking against him.

"I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry." He cries tears coming back with a vengeance.

He had known Matt almost as long as he knew Shiro and Adam. They were the first adults that were nice to him. They were his small family before coming to space, and meant as much to him as his new friends, he can't imagine what both of them were going through.

"I don't think my weak scientist heart could take it if you did that. You're like my honorary nephew. You are so important, I don't even think you know it."

"You're my little brother Keith. I couldn't possibly have lived if you did that. I love you."

After that it felt like the gravity around himself had increased as everyone gathers back into his space hugging him within an inch of his life, but after today he's fine with it.

Not long after they must fall asleep because one moment he's ruffing Pidge's hair and the next he'e waking up surround on all sides with sleepy friends. Shiro is to his left and Allura his right. Pidge has a vice grip on his right leg and her head is pillowed on Allura's leg. Lance is stretched over his legs holding his hand while the other is thrown over Shiro's legs and his head is resting on Shiro's hip. Looking up through his bangs he can see he's resting in Hunk's crossed legs, who is propping up his head with his hand that's sitting on the couch behind him. And Matt is leaning into Hunk and using the couch to rest too. Matt is also providing a cushion for Allura's head and is resting his hand over Keith's head. The smile comes easily and he loves the warmth, both physical and emotionally, that comes from being smothered by his found family. 

Hearing the doors slide open Keith turns his head as much as he can to see who was entering and sees a softly smiling Coran. He was bring in a tray of what looked like Hunk's macaroon balls and a pitcher of water and glasses. He taps the center of the floor twice with his foot and a small table comes up from the ground and he quietly rests the tray there before looking over at their cuddle pile again, but surprise to see anyone awake.

"Hey Coran." Keith whispers.

"Hello," Coran says just as quiet, "Keep resting number 3. You've had a overwhelming quintant."

Keith nods as much as he could stuck under the weight of multiple limbs, but Coran seems to see it as he gives him his own nod. Before walking back out he turns around and says,

"And it's good to have you on board again Keith."

_Yeah, It is._

* * *

Apparently when they were passed out in their cuddle pile the secure intergalactic chat room that Pidge and the Oklari set up was filled with statements of what had been successfully done until one person suggested a party and then it was the only thing being typed. Now they were sitting in the conference room trying to figure out the details as something like this couldn't be passed up. As Allura said it would help strengthen ties.

"Where is it going to be?" Keith asks, and somehow he knew he was going to be asking a lot of questions tonight.

"Well five planets have offered," Coran tells them, "First, Olkarion."

Pidge looks thrilled as always and pouts when Allura shakes her head 'no', "We can't. They do so much already."

Whatever the second one was has Coran gnashing his teeth together as he says grimly, "Kellös."

The resounding 'no' startles Keith as he looks around and sees everyone's face filled with annoyance. Coran even gleefully scratches of the planet's name of his pad. Keith really wants to ask since no one had told him the full story about what happened. All he's heard is that there were trials, a monster, they had good taste in clothes, and it looked and felt like they ended up in a Studio Ghibli movie.

"Trisa."

"Oh. Oh that would be perfect!" Allura claps as it dawns on her that the last choice was the best choice.

Trisa was a pretty amazing planet and one of the first ones they saved when Keith started piloting the Black Lion. It's land didn't stay on land, it floated! The whole planet looked like you took apart sections of a skeleton to look at each system. There were islands of land that floated even above the floating continents in the clouds looking like a fluffy white ocean as it rolled of the land. The continent, which was all one giant landmass, was below and not hindered by the cloud sea, slowly rotating as the planet did. Beneath the larger landmass there was another set of islands that were at level with most of the clouds and through the clouds you could see the ocean that covered the rest of the planet.

"Which level?" Allura asks.

"Their stratospheric level Princess. They said the they have a lovely banquet hall, 2840 square t'qell that is used for the astronomical celebrations that does happen to have an above water feature —"

"How deep?" Lance says in a hurry, almost popping out of his seat.

"4.3 t'qell wide and 8 t'qell deep." Coran says easily with the information already available.

"Perfect." Lance beams and starts whispering to Hunk about the Mermaids they encountered that he was likely asking for.

"And they would be all for pulling up the clear walls to keep in the warmth since our internal temperatures are lower than theirs." Coran concludes.

"That's generous of them. Will they still be able to attend?" Shiro asks, likely hoping not to offend their host.

"Yes, they said there are no worries and if needed that's what balconies are for." Coran answers.

"Very good. How many planets will be attending?" Allura asks looking to Pidge who pulls up a list.

"543."

"So with each planet sending us two to three dignitaries that would put us between 1000 and 1,500?" Keith says doing the math quickly in his head.

"1086 to 1626 to be exact, excluding us of course." She corrects him with a smile as she adjusts her glasses.

Even being a bit off that was still a lot of people and when everyone looks to Coran he smiles and says the building can easily fit 3000.

"And the Yure can get it ready in that time? I mean I feel like we should help." Hunk says rubbing the back of his head as the list of dignitaries start to scroll up the screens.

"How? We don't exactly have 'good party planning' on our resume." Pidge says and no one brings up how bad the last party went.

"No, but I feel we should help with .....I don't know – catering or something. That's always the hardest." Hunk says, still looking unsure.

It takes Keith a moment to think he gets what Hunk is saying, since he now understands how the other falls into the safety of cooking when he's bothered.

".... You want to do a potluck?" He questions, all a sudden not sure about what he's asking.

But as Hunk sits up straighter in his seat and his eyes start to shine Keith knows he hit the nail on the head.

"It would be fun and a good way to sample everyone's types of food. It's sounds like everyone knows the others existed, but hasn't been allowed to explored much else."

"What's a potluck?" Lance asks looking to Keith, but it's Shiro that answers.

"It's when friends or family make different homemade dishes that can be shared at a party." 

"Oh like a Qzir-taye," Allura's eyes sparkle with understanding, "It's an ancient form of agreement before Altea was united. We would bring our favorite food to a meeting and eat the others' food as a sign of willingness to understand the others' ways and work together."

"Yea, it trickled down and became a celebration for people to eat wide varieties of food during a party. I saw it in a park once or twice and they explained it to me." Lance adds and once again shows how the Alteans weren't so different from them.

"I think that would be a wonderful idea Hunk. We could all make something too." Allura smiles widely and Lance gives him an air-high-five.

"In that tiny kitchen?" Pidge questions, voice already saying 'no' to that idea.

"No. The Castle's kitchen." Coran says like it was obvious.

"I thought Hunk was using the Castle's kitch—"

"There's a bigger kitchen!?" Hunk cuts him off standing from his chair, "Where!?"

In ten minutes they were at the Castle's kitchen and it would put all those fancy restaurants to shame. It had to be at least 100 by 100 feet and looked like it had everything a foodie like Hunk would ever need.

"This is the Castle's kitchen," Coran says with a flourish as the lights come on making the kitchen looking that much more impressive. And the high pitch squeal coming from Hunk definitely means he agreed, "The other was the upper courts kitchen, mostly for the royal family." 

The air is knock out of Keith and continues to leave his body as Hunk clings to him with tears of joy sliding down his face that he buries in his shoulder. Keith awkwardly reaches an arm up to pat the other teen on his arm — it was the best he could do.  

"Its - its - it's - Just so beautiful!" Hunk cries into Keith's shoulder as he squeezes him tighter. 

"Then it's decided. Coran send a message to the Yure of Trisa that we would be delighted to make use of their solar ballroom. Make the colors blue, green, and white for celebration," Lance and Pidge high-five at their colors being used, "And that we will enlist that each dignitaries bring a dish that can serve at least twenty. And Coran I trust you have our signatures still?"

"Yes. I'll get on the invitations right away. What time?" And Coran turns to Shiro who blinks in surprise before saying,

"A movement should be good."

At that Coran is off and Hunk starts running through the walkways of the kitchen checking out his new playground, riffling through drawers and cabinets. Keith bites his lip as he watches how happy Hunk was. He remembers how Hunk told him about how cooking would make him feel closer to home while he was out here protecting them from a far. Keith thinks this new place will definitely put Hunk at more at ease which makes Keith smile despite himself.

"This is really coming together."

"Yes!" Allura agrees with Shiro, "I am quiet excited. We haven't been to a gala in a long time."  
  
And at that Keith squints before looking around Shiro, "Do we have to dress up?" 

Keith was not one to dress up. Just ask Shiro about the epic arguments that they had, which usually ended with Adam getting him to dress nicely for the Garrison balls they would have.

"YES!" Both of the royals yell in happiness and Keith can only groan in defeat because he knows they're going to be successful in getting him into something fancy. And seeing Shiro's smug smirk because he knows it too makes him frown even more.

"We'll start the fabric process now so we can have the clothes by the gala. And the capes too, even though they will be done in less time." Lance says as he walks over to Hunk and uses his Altean strength to drag him away from a blender-like machine as he dramatically wails for the kitchen to wait for him.

"Capes?"

"The Paladins always wore theirs at formal events, but new designs will be made for you." Allura answers as she hooks an arm around his.

She links arms with Pidge as well and almost drag them away too as they followed after Lance who had a grip on Hunk, but was holding hands with Shiro. They end up in a wide square room with a large round control panel that had a variety of buttons on it and was projected a faint blue light from the center that reached the ceiling. Lance explains that the machine – Keith thinks it starts with a 'w' - was and how it would make decorative fabrics as gifts to new dignitaries or if something happened to an outfit and it needed to be repair. The machine could take dimensions and even show a holographic version on you or in the light that worked like a 3D rending. And it could take multiple orders at once.

"That's great and all, but I haven't worn a dress in forever and I don't think I would even know what style to go in." Pidge complains.

"You used to wear dresses?" Allura asks hopefully, eyes opening to creepy portions.

"All the time, but when you're hiding as a boy you can't."

Snatching Pidge's hand Allura starts pulling her away like Lance did to Hunk, "We will be trying on dresses in my room continue." And then the girls were gone.

"So what do people usually wear to these?" Shiro chuckles as he watched Pidge get spirited away.

"People usually wear clothes of their culture and heritage. I can't guarantee it will come out the same since it has an Altean inclination, but it should still come out nice."

"Does it take drawings for patterns? Or drawings in general." Hunk asks from where he's admiring the machine from the other side of the panel.

"What type of Werqzer would it be if it couldn't?" Lance smirks.

"I wouldn't even know the answer to that." Hunk replies as Lance walks over and grabs a stylus, showing Hunk it's functions.

With everyone distracted Keith slinks out of the room and ends up hiding in a hallway too far away.

"Heritage, hnn." Keith mutters to himself as he pulls his legs to himself and rest his chin on his kneecaps. 

His heritage was at this point mostly an unknown one. Keith only knew his Father's parents that moved from Korea when he was still young, but they were dead before Keith was born. His dad didn't teach him much about that and anything relating to his Mother was a riddle wrapped in a mystery. Even knowing nothing about her Keith was still learning some do's and don't's of being a Galra. He was learning some of the language and in small causes the culture, if and only if, Kolivan had time to tell him in between flying to missions. Everything was so fascinating and he just wanted to learn more, but he also didn't because he was afraid of how his friends would react to him 'going native.'

Keith didn't already want to go to the gala and definitely not as the only Galra, even if it was only part. It would be easy to see if he didn't show up in something different, they would all know and it wouldn't matter if he was a Paladin of Voltron, there would be whispers. But he hadn't been much of a Paladin either. Overall he wasn't truly ashamed, just more scared than anything. Sighing and then yelling into his lap, he's not sure how long he sits there like that, but his ass starts to hurt from sitting to long without moving. Sighing again, Keith reaches into his side satchels and pulls out a small communicator that with in a few seconds of pushing it Kolivan's face appear.

"Keith." He answers in his droll tone.

"Hey Kolivan. Do you have any missions for me in the like next week?" Keith asks softly.

"No. The Blade is only going through encrypted data and working on advancements to our technology. We have dealt the Galra empire a serious blow and we are using the time to be one step ahead of them. As well as the organization's need to rest from the missions we have been going on almost non-stop."

"Oh." Keith is both surprised and disappointed as his only way out of this was basically on-leave.

"Why, may I ask? Are you not going to the gala on Trisa?" Kolivan questions sounding very confused, or as confused as he could.

Keith looks back to the screen in shock, "You're going?" 

"Princess Allura has just invited me." Kolivan answers.

_Wow she's really grown._

After everything Keith thought Allura wouldn't associate with him even after apologizing. But after Shiro's disappearance she sort of just appeared in his immediate space a lot more than he thought. She was there searching with him in one of the small pods when she could, she was there when he needed to get his frustration out on the deck, she was even there when he almost sobbed out the tragic and great way he meet Shiro and how he all but adopted by him when they were back on Earth. He knew she turned over a new leaf, but it always made him feel great when he got to see her becoming a better person.

"I won't be alone." Keith whispers to himself as he starts to smile.

"Keith?"

"Sorry I – I'm going. It's just," And Keith pauses as he thinks about how he wants to word this, "I don't know much about my other heritage. From my Father. And I'm still learning about the Galra, but I don't know what type of outfit would be appropriate for this."

And from that Kolivan stoic frown actually turns up into a tiny grin, "I can procure formal Galran solider clothing for you, if you wish."

"That would be great if you could."

"I will have it delivered in two quintants."

"Thanks Kolivan."

With a small smile etched on his face and a lighter feeling in his chest Keith walks back to the wer-whatever room and only finds Shiro there finishing up his design and Keith would call it almost video game  in style – because he's a dork – but he's sure Shiro could pull it off. Keith watches as Shiro explains what to do and creates some slim pants the will fit well into the knee high boots and clicks enter. At Shiro's raised eyebrow and question about the lack of a shirt Keith finds himself shyly telling him Kolivan has that handle.

"That's good. I'm glad your embracing it."

"Me too."

Placing his arm around his shoulder, "Now, talking about Galra lets talk about that stunt you were going to pull." Shiro says with a truly wicked grin and steers him to the door.

"Nooo." Keith groans as he lets Shiro walk him out of the room and to the biggest dressing down he'll probably have in his life.

 

"So Princess where are we off to?" Pidge ask ironically as they neared the royal quarters.

But the blazing fire in Allura's eyes when she turns around has Pidge fighting a laugh as Allura says 'Dress up' like it was a declaration of war.

But her excitement is catching, "I thought you would never ask." Pidge grins and start running down the hall pulling Allura with her.

Now when Pidge says she's never seen a closet like Allura's she means there is definitely not a closet like this in existence anywhere else in the universe. The height of it almost mock her as she can't reach higher then the first rack. But the order by season, type, and color is so impressive she doesn't even care.

"Allura, what about something shorter? You may be able to move in long dresses, but I don't want to test my muscle memory at something so important." Pidge calls out from the second short hallway somewhere in spring clothing.

"Coming!" Allura shouts back.

"Good! Because I can't pull anything!" Pidge yells back.

They were looking at some of Allura's clothes so Pidge could get a sense of what what type of dress she wanted so going to the Werqzer would be a one-in-done trip. And if Pidge just happens to finds an outfit she wants to make a mild duplicate of, then well, it was meant to be. It's another five minutes and Pidge has found seven dresses she wanted and was now looking for a box to get the last one when Allura walks over.

"There you are." Pidge says only a bit accusing.

"Here I am." She says graciously as she reaches up and takes the last dress down and lays it over Pidge's out stretched arms.

"All perfect choices." Allura says as she claps her hands together.

Pidge goes into the bathroom and changes and comes out in the first dress that's just short all around, but has some fluff underneath that has the skirt puffing out. She likes it, but she's not sure. As she shows it off to Allura she asks,

"What was keeping you?"

"Oh, I was calling the Blade." Allura says calmly as she gestures for her to spin around. As the skirt goes from her knees to her high thighs Pidge mentally crosses it off.

"Really? Why?"

"Yes, I was inviting Kolivan and one other Blade member to come to the gala. They are our allies – our first allies – and they deserve to be recognized as such." Allura says with conviction.

Pidge pauses and looks back as she sees Allura and sees how much she has grown and come around from when she first encountered them.

"That's nice of you. I'm glad you came around." Pidge says lightly.

Allura looks up surprised before smiling lightly and brightly, "Me too."

After that they fall deeply into the closet trying dress after dress. By the sixteenth one Pidge is losing hope and is also disappointed in how picky she's become when dress seventeen cheeks off all the boxes she wants. She just needs to change the design a bit for her to be comfortable, but then it would be golden.

"I think I found my dress. Not the right colors, but I can fix that easily." Pidge announces as she hold it up for Allura.

"Oh! This will be magnificent. To the Werqzer, then we can come back here and pick out our makeup and hair styles."

"Yes!" Pidge laughs and they run back to the room giggling the whole way there.

 

"You're a mess." Hunk says blandly as he looks at his best friend laying out on his bed whining into it.

He had just called the Mer and told them he would be picking them up only to flop on the bed and start complaining into it like he just realized he was going to a fancy party.  

"I will concede to your point while also ignoring it." Hunk makes out from the muffled answer.

But as Lance rolls over Hunk makes space for him as he looks down at the distraught prince.

"Hunk we're having a ball, a party! Do you know what that means? It's been sooo long. What if I mess up something big? What if I spill something on someone? What if I run into the Kellös delegation?" And a real look of horror flashes over his face at the last one.

_He's freaking out again. Gotta nip that in the butt._

"I doubt they would talk to us directly after what happened. But in my experience – which is only movies – It's going to be extremely boring, a catastrophe,  _or_  you get to dance with Shiro." Hunk says, adding the last one to snap Lance out of his funk.

Lance stares at him unconvinced until the last point seems to register and he watches as his friend's eyes go all loveydovey and he sighs so longingly Hunk could almost taste the yearning.

"I could dance with Shiro." Lance sighs happily as he rolls down the length of his circular bed in joy.

"Yeah that's what I thought." Hunk smirks as he watches.

But then Lance bounces off the bed and over to him with a frantic look, "What should I wear? It has to be perfect!"

"I don't know the possibilities are  _literally_  endless." As Hunk thinks back to the first time he stepped foot in the Closet. He only wanted to go to the bathroom not get lost on his way to Narnia.

"You're right! I have to start looking now!" Lance launches himself off the bed and slides past his changing screen and into the Closet.

"To the closet Kronk," Hunk whispers to himself before sliding off the bed and walking into the room of nightmares to already see at least six outfit resting on step stools, "Alright buddy, show me the clothes."

Hunk soon finds out that it's worst then being with his two sisters at the mall. Two hours in and nothing. A whole lot of 'no's' and a lot of panicking, even though it's six days away.

"I need to look amazing. I am a fashion icon and I should be seen as such. And you don't even have to worry. Yours is just so simple." Lance laments as he goes through the autumn part of his collection.

And Hunk's knows Lance isn't being mean, but he can't help needling him a bit.

"Wow. Thanks." Hunk answers sarcastically as he frowns.

"It's nice, really! The designs on the vest are amazing," Lance tries to backtrack and Hunk just nods his head solemnly as if he's still offended, "Its just – I need ... I want to look great anyway, but I also want to wow Shiro." He says quietly sitting down on the nearest footstool.

Hunk walks over and around the clothes strewn over the floor and sit next to him throwing an arm over his shoulder.

"Hey, you're freaking out about this gala too much and about dressing up. You look great all the time. Even when we've been through hell a couple times."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better." Lance mutters.

"Well yes," And Lance's pouting face is so funny, "but only because it's true. You do look great. Always. You could show up in one of Shiro's oversize shirt and some sweatpants and look fabulous to him and everyone."

Lance grins a bit at that, "Aww! Thank you. It would be leggings not sweatpants, but still thank you." 

Hunk shakes his head and pushes a laughing Lance into the small mountain of clothes that had accumulated to their left. They continue their crusade and its not until he catches a glimpse of what looks like a white outfit that Hunk just takes a leap of faith and grabs it, turning around to show Lance. The unabashed grinning from ear to ear as he hops over tells Hunk that all those hours stuck at shopping malls did him well.

"Hunk, I think you found it."

Lance goes to try it on right then and there and all Hunk can think when he comes out from the bathroom is that this  is going to knock Shiro's boots clean off and out of the banquet hall.

And while looking for an outfit took four vargas it only took Lance a varga to design the capes, which Hunk got to help out a bit, except for Lance's as his was a secret. They weren't doing one for Allura because she wanted there to still be some mystery to who was fly which Lion. Lance tells him it's really because it would clash with her dress.

Keith's was a deep red and made up of five slips of fabric all cut and angled to look like one solid piece of material. On the longest and center length of fabric was a light red and orange emblem of fire as three flames together.

His was a mix of yellow and dark brown. It was two wide pieces of fabric, the shorter on top of the longer and it only reached the bottom of his thighs. They both went to a diamond point with the brown outline them and the shorter part of the cape having three small Balmera crystals hanging from their own short brown rectangles. The Altean symbol for earth was on the end of the short part of the cape too and looked like a small mountain range across the the bottom of it. 

Pidge was mostly opaque or see through compare to his and Keith's solid cloth, but it looked way cooler that way. She had two pieces of fabric that would come down from her shoulders and half way down curl in on itself like curly hair. They were translucent while the small fabric in between them was more solid. It ended in a rounded diamond shape that stopped at the base of her back. On it there was a minimalist version of a evergreen tree and it branched out its roots down towards the two translucent pieces of fabric beneath it and the roots turns into circuits that stopped half way down. The circuit tree was golden while the rest was a light green.

Most of Shiro's is deep grey with the bottom third of it nicely trimmed in black. His shoulder cuffs curved down into his shoulders and his symbol couldn't really be describe except that it was a royal purple elongated diamond in the center that took up a third of his cape and had an indigo angular swirl on either side of it.

At the top of each, in between the shoulder cuffs, was the Voltron insignia in metal as the color of their original Lion. Hunk has to say they are pretty much the coolest capes he's ever seen. He hasn't seen many, but they are definitely top tier. They were finished the next day and everyone got to see them after lunch, much to everyone's delight.

"So cool." Hunk whispers as he feels the softest and the coarseness of the cape.

If these came out this well he can't wait to see his clothes two days from now.

"These are pretty nice." Pidge says as she rubs gently at the iridescent fabric that resembles the circuits on a microchip. 

"Yeah Allura, the detail is great." Keith agrees as he turns and spins in his watching the fabric fly out.

"Lance did them." Allura says with a proud smile and Hunk watches and Keith's face brightens and then drops into a light-hearted sneer.

"I think the flames aren't bright enough." 

"Cheeky." Lance complains and sticks his tongue out at Keith, who just laughs.

"They're great Lance." Shiro says as he walks over to place a quick kiss to Lance's temple. The face of superiority never looked as smug as Lance's as he smirks so self-satisfied in Keith's face as he rolls his eyes.

 

Shiro looks around and smiles as he sees his team, his friends, all dressed up and excited for a night of relaxation. Though the week has been nothing but relaxing with them doing their own things. Though yesterday they did spend the day together as they all went down to the Castle's kitchen and cooked their dishes. Hunk helped them out big time with making something similar to the special meals they would usually have during the holidays with only alien ingredients available. It was fun and now everyone looked even more comfortable then they had ever looked since all this started. As they wait for Lance they helped each other put on their capes and Shiro did some mild people watching.

Hunk had gone the simple route with a suit, but it was the most dynamic suit Shiro's ever seen. He had a brown suit with a burgundy [Tapa ](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/483151866264609904/)design vest and a warm yellow tie.

Pidge's [dress ](https://goo.gl/images/cZ5cpu)looked like something out of a fashion magazine. It was high-low hem, but looked pleated as well making the skirt move in a fascinating way. Her hair had been braided into a nice braid crown with green and white gems throughout them. The dress was all green with a simple black belt and white leaves coming in from her left shoulder. She even took off her glasses and has put on some simple makeup. Pidge has even elevated her height with black wedges, which made her as tall as Keith. 

"Pidge your dress looks great." Shiro compliments her as he finish pinning her cape in place.

She spins around in a flourish and says in a haughty voice, "Thanks. I'm calling on my high fashion Italian roots."

Keith had very much embraced his new heritage. The jacket looked like it was a double-breasted vest, but had a layer that went over the next making four in total and becoming a deepening color of red as it went until it button in the over his heart with the Blade of Marmora insignia. The rest of it is black with a high collar like Coran's jacket and long sleeves which seemed to bleed into his biker gloves which he insisted on wearing. Shiro had given them a look, but knew a lost battle when he saw it and just complimented him on the jacket.

Allura was in a light pink or fuchsia ruffle [skirt ](https://d2a2wjuuf1c30f.cloudfront.net/product_photos/62264580/file_97cef21b8f_original.jpg)that seemed to change in the light. The basket weave bodice started off as a light lavender and transitioned back to the light pink. On each arm was a bell sleeve not connected to the [dress ](http://hazenheim.tumblr.com/post/152706555689/thinks-which-atla-character-allura-could-be-on#notes)and was the same color as the middle of the bodice with white on the inside and outlining each ruffle. On her shoulders her markings, three dots descending in size and a line ringing around the middle of her bicep, seemed to glowed with the rest of her outfit. Her hair was pulled back and braided into a thick braid that went down the length of her head and the rest of her hair spilled gently over her shoulder in tight curls. Her eyeshadow and Arabic eyeliner was amazingly done. And around her neck was the necklace Lance had bought at the space mall, she wore two large golden earrings too, and in her hair was a crown fit for a queen of a sun kingdom.

Coran was even in a more detailed jacket than his regular one that looked similar to a tailcoat and wore shorter gloves.

"I'm here, we can go." Lance's bubbly voice comes over the comms.

"Then we're off." Coran announces and Allura powers up another wormhole and they're on their way.

Lance had left in Blue to pick up the Mer delegation so they could go as well. But only twenty minutes into their hour voyage Lance sweeps into the room.

"Sorry I'm late."

"We aren't even there."

"Show what you know about being fashionable late."

Shiro is sure he can hear Keith's teeth grinding from here. The two may be on better terms, but they make sure to let everyone know that there is still some saltiness there.

Standing from his chair Shiro turns to the two, "Alright you two no figh—" 

And Shiro is struck speechless and can only think 'the wait was worth it' before his brain stalled as he looks at the gorgeous svelte young man before him.

Most of his outfit was ice blue, his top sleeveless with a delicate white [lace ](https://shiriosandmilk.tumblr.com/post/177414492263/my-piece-for-the-alteanlancezine?is_related_post=1#notes)front that stops just above his bellybutton. Beneath it was a deep blue wrap that encircles the top of his waist to his hips, extenuating his slim midriff. Artfully sewn down the sides of his thighs were golden designs similar to his markings on his back, but they are cutoff by high gold and navy boots. His gloves were also all white lace with blue around the end of them creating another beautiful stark contrast against his skin. On his biceps were twisting golden bracelets that highlighted both his markings and skin. And standing in profile he can see Lance's cape is all translucent cerulean that almost seems to drip down his open back into two strands that end up coming together as an arrow-like design that stretches a foot behind him. But it doesn't stop there, two other pieces of translucent fabric come down in loops from the shoulder cuffs to connect to his clear bracelets on his wrists. But Lance's face is the true piece of artwork – more so than usual – with his hair straighten and artfully tousled framing his face beautifully, double winged navy and light blue eyeliner brightening his sapphire and lavender eyes, and golden and blue dangling earrings refract small dots of lights over his cheeks like celestial freckles.

_God! He is ..... just divine!_

"Hey."

_Great first words Takashi._

He thinks regrettably as he walks over to Lance – the Prince.

"Hi." Lance smiles as he bites his lower lip.

"You look amazingly radiant." Shiro whispers as he reaches for his hand.

"You look fantastic and – Is that the purple..." Lance starts until he notices Shiro's small change and lets his thumb glide just under his right eye, spreading heat with his touch.

"It seemed to go with the outfit." Shiro answers.

The only thing the purple eyeliner went with was his cape's design because this was more for Lance than anything.

It's hard, but they eventually sit down after some non-subtle coughs from the peanut gallery and then much too soon they are arriving at Trisa and Shiro actually doesn't want to leave. The need to not share Lance with anyone else is very strong, but this was for building stronger ties and everyone had to go out and do their part. They arrive in the Blue Lion for her size and the fact she can hold water easily inside her hold for the Merosa. The moth-like Yure of Trisa easily transport them to the water feature while they get into position for Coran to announce their entrance. Pidge and Hunk would walk down together, Lance and Keith, and then him with Allura. They had practice this at least fifty times on the grand staircase in the Castle's ballroom per Allura's request so they would be seen in a near perfect light. But one could only ask for so much when Lance and Keith were together.

"You've been so good, don't make me kick you down the stairs!"

Allura whispers harshly yet her lips never move from her royal smile as the descend. That gets the nudging to stop immediately even though Shiro knows its an empty threat, but it does sets the mood for what he's sure will already be an interesting night. But his main agenda is after an appropriate amount of time with speaking to delegates he was going to spirit Lance away to a balcony so they can just be alone.

* * *

"Kolivan. Antok." Allura say in greeting.

Turning to his left Shiro nods his head in greeting too, "Hello. I didn't hear your announcement."

"We prefer to be in the shadows as much as we can." Anotk answers coolly.

Antok looks almost like Ulaz except for the bigger build, two claw marks through his right eye – which was undamaged – and a full head of lavender hair that was in a long complex braid, longer than Kolivan's.

"I see you have a newer arm." Allura starts up again.

"Yes Princess. The science division, though mostly Slav," The eye twitch is now just inherent when that name is mention, "has been successful in finally making an alloy they could model the way they wished."

"That's good." 

He was lucky according to Allura that he dodge the blast from the Druid and only lost his left arm. It looked similar to his though more sharp at the joints.

As Antok and Allura continue talking Shiro wonders about something Lance told, about the possibility of the Galra trying to repaid a debt as Allura was the one to carry him back to the Castle, but he had never asked not wanting to be rude. But Shiro doesn't think it matters either way, the exposure from working with and when the Blade would stay and use the Castle as a temporary base to plan out missions had significantly mellowed her attitude to the Galra. She may not fully trust them, but it's definitely higher than tolerance and she keeps trying to be better.

Everyone sees this two hours into the gala Allura call for the audience's attention. She stands a few steps up the grand staircase with Lance and Coran to her right at the bottom of the steps and Antok to her left.

"Thank you everyone for attending and for making this gala even possible. Without your commitment to the cause we would not half dealt this crushing blow to the Galra empire. I thank you for helping us in our continuing quest to rid the universe of Zarkon's foul presence."

There is polite applause and when it dies down she continues.  
  
"I would also like to take a moment to thank the Blade of Marmora. For not only turning their backs on their immoral empire, but also working to do something for the betterment of the universe. It also proves that people deserve a second chance. I recognize their bravery and their help in supplying us the intel we need to stand as an organized threat to the Galran Empire. Many of their operatives have sacrificed themselves for us and I would like to thank them for that."

Shiro looks to his left and witnesses Kolivan's eyes widen in pure surprise and they grow even wider as the guests also clap for them as well. Not as loud, but it stills mean something that people are coming around to to the idea that not all Galra are bad. Looking back he sees Lance smile in their direction before walking over.

"I told you." He says slyly and whatever he's referring to has Kolivan actually chuckling.

"You did."

Lance smiles again before leaving them so Kolivan can continue having genial conversation with some of the delegates that have Galra hybrids in their family. When Shiro is sure that Kolivan is comfortable he starts to make his rounds again about the still wide ballroom to talk with a few more planets about their defense systems. Or least that was what he was going to do until he turns around and sees something that rankles something deep inside of him.

"Ryner could you continue to explain the new defensive weapons your planet will be creating. I'm sure that Senator Flore and Queen Kiwet will draw great inspiration from it. I need to take care of a situation very quickly." Shiro says pleasantly and luckily they all start talking so Shiro can make his escape to stage a rescue.  

Closer to the balconies of the main room, Lance stood ramrod straight as his ears flit back and forth slowly, highlighting how distressed he was. But his face was a well constructed mask as a Kellös native held tightly onto his arm as the Eli'zi leans over Lance with a snake-like grin. 

Shiro knew they had to invite them, but he assumed they would be smart enough to not talk to the people they tried imprison or sacrifice.  
  
"Your highness." He speaks up, startling both of them.

Lance relaxes and with the other also distracted slips his arm free of the Eli'zi's touch. 

"Oh Shiro, it so nice to see you. Prince Kano, this is the leader of Voltron, Takashi Shirogane. Shiro this is Prince Kano of Kellös." Lance introduces them and Shiro can see some of the similarities from the emperor and empress in their son.

"Welcome to the gala, I hope I'm not interrupting?" Shiro asks already planning how to get Lance out of this situation.

"Well —" The prince starts, but Shiro doesn't give him the time of day.

"Because I would hate to, but the Princess requires her brother's presence.  _Privately_." He easily cuts in and blocks the other prince from following.

He and the prince stare off for a time before he looks away to focus on Lance, "Of course. It was pleasant speaking with you."

"Indeed." Lance answers back out of courtesy and turns to him.

"Prince?" Holding his arm out for Lance to loop his through, they walk off. 

"Thank you." Lance whispers in between waving to other dignitaries as Shiro walks aimlessly through the crowd.

"You're welcome."

Or he would have said it if the music didn't suddenly swell to a louder volume  indicating that guests could dance now. Glancing down at Lance he sees he is bashfully looking away before turning back with a determined look and saying,

"Dance with me."

Shiro blinks before smiling, "I thought you would never ask."

 

Allura can honestly say this night was going well as everyone mingled quite calmly and her Paladins were playing around like the last time. She also proud of herself for deciding with the Yurian hall not only for the openness and decorating, but also it's size. It had three parts; the leftmost had been set up nicely with the banquet tables lining the walls opposite of each other with standing tables near them for dignitaries to eat and talk. Hunk's idea was a hit and multiple types of dishes and drinks were brought from across this corner of the universe. In the rightmost wing there was furniture to sit down and wider balconies for people to gather. In the main room which was a quite large dodecagon – larger then her ballroom –there was the water feature than lined the walls and sometimes curled around the pillars that the Mersoa took great joy in. The dusk light shines through the water giving the whole room a lovely glow throughout. And on either side of the staircase was the orchestra that was playing tonight.

They had just started and Allura moves as far back as she could to the pillars so she wouldn't be asked. She had no problem with it just that no one ever stuck to talking while dance – in her experience someone was always trying to use the dance to get something from her. So Allura removed herself from the equation all together. And it also helps if she has a bodyguard in the form of a towering Galra. Which while she was still a bit miffed that he swept in to 'save' her Antok did so in a very practical way, and honestly she didn't want to keep talking to that woman if all she was going to do was talk in veiled innuendos through their important discussion about her planet's economy. Now she just needed a breather and Antok was a great conversationalist.

Glancing around the dancing couples on the floor a couple of blue and black catches her eye and has her grinning from ear to ear.

_Oh they are so precious together!_

Allura coos as she tries and fails to look away from the scene. Surprisingly, that's how she finds the other Paladins as she tracks her brother and his partner across the floor. She has to look around Antok and that's when she notices that her Paladins were doing the same as her standing off to the side as well. And if she followed their line of sight she can they were also watching the resident sweethearts.

"I don't know. I mean right now they're sweet verging on 'Why? Please. No.'."

Allura jumps at that, hearing Pidge's voice over the music, but then again Altean hearing is quite superb. Turning away from them, but making sure her right ear is tuned to them she listens in. It's not eavesdropping if they are loud enough for her ears. 

"What do you mean? They seem pretty tamed to me. At least for that staring into each other's eyes in a daze." Keith says.

_Honestly I've seen nothing beside that and the few cheek and temple kisses._

"What have you seen?" Hunk asks sounding suspicious.

"Them holding hands and talking. Shiro smiling." And Allura can hear the smile in Keith's voice.

_That's so sweet._

"It's probably because he thinks of you like a brother and he doesn't want to hurt your sensibilities." Pidge scoffs.

"Well I saw Shiro carrying Lance down the hall once," Hunk starts, "And they were just looking into each other's eyes and it was cute and all because they were talking, but then I saw him pinch Lance's ass and — Ugh! The sounds and giggles. I will be haunted eternally." He groans.

And Allura can feel her face twisting up in disgusts as she could imaging it now and it makes her think about when her parents were acting overly cute the closer to their anniversary it got.

_I'm going to need to talk to him about that._

She thinks already dreading a talk she knows he won't take serious as she takes a dainty sip of her Yurian drink.

"That's nothing," Pidge dismisses with a sharp laugh, "I saw them hardcore making out on the kitchen counter a week back."

Allura is almost impressed with herself that she only coughed up her drink instead of spilling or spitting it everywhere because then she can act like she has some dignity left, while Antok appears with a napkin to help clean her face. Thankfully she got none on her dress.

"What!!!" Hunk starts to yell only to turn it into an angry whisper, "But we eat there!"  And Allura's sure everyone near them can still hear that.

"Yeah, that what I said as I sprayed them with the sink hose like a couple of cats in heat. And you know what? They somehow still looked hot." Pidge complains.

"I bet Lance didn't care." Keith says with disgust latching to his words and Allura can relate.

"Nope."

_A'lanor. Noooooo._

"I made the stupid mistake of telling them that I was pissed they still look hot, maybe hotter than before, and Lance started posing on the counter and making this dirty joke, so I was about to spray him again and Shiro literally moves in front of him like some valiant knight."

_Okay, but that's sort of sweet. For the wrong reason, but still! ..... We're going to need to have a talk._

"Wow this must suck for you." Keith says blandly.

"You too will be exposed to this one day. I'll make sure of it." Pidge threatens.

"I hope it's never too soon for me," Allura mutters and hears a soft chuckle.

Turning to Antok she sees his head ducked away, but his grin is still visible on his face and Allura remembers Galra's impeccable hearing as well.

"This is not funny." She states with authority.

"Of course your highness. Should I fetch you another drink since the first was finished so quickly?" Antok teases.

She she glare at her impromptu bodyguard and knows the face she making is a very unpleased pout, but they're no real heat in her eyes. And Antok can clearly sees it as he smiles wider and Allura has to wave him off before she hits him in the shoulder like she does to her brother when he annoys her.

 

This gala went off without a hitch – minus the tiny Kellös incident – but everything else was great. He brushed off his diplomacy skills and charmed people left and right, even sneaking in some dialogue on whether they liked the idea of a universal alliance agreement, which seemed to have a overall positive response. He also made time to try all the tasty foods and talked some time away with Pidge, Hunk, and Keith –without starting a argument too. And now he's dancing with Shiro, who looks quite dashing and handsome in his outfit, so yes this night has been great.

"I never got to tell you how handsome you look." Lance says as Shiro spins him around again in time with a low note.

The song's cadence was both haunting as it was melodious, soft on the ears, but just pulled on the heart in a mix of emotions that could only be described as melancholy joy.

"Thank you. You do too." Shiro says softly as he glides to his left to side step another couple. 

"Thank you again," Lance laughs as he thinks back to Shiro slack-jaw impression when he turned around to see him, "Your outfit had me speechless too for a bit.

His black [shirt ](https://pl.aliexpress.com/item/2016-autumn-new-men-linen-belt-shirt-men-solid-color-loose-casual-shirts-long-sleeved-chinese/32719298328.html)seemed to have two layers with the left overlapping high at the base of his throat. Its was well fitted and showed off just how muscular this beautiful buff man was with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The shirt was held in place with a grey and white wrap, but the extended down to his knees. But there were [slits ](https://www.deviantart.com/ziyoling/art/Bns-costumes-design-562755321)on either side sectioning off into two parts to show off Shiro's powerful legs encased in white pants. He also wore simple black wristbands and boots to complete the outfit. And with the cape he looked regal, like he belonged to a royal family. Although knowing him Shiro would just say he was looking the part of a Paladin. And he would be correct, he was Lance's beloved Paladin.

"It's more of a spin on my culture." Shiro chuckles and as always it's infectious and has Lance joining in too.

"I still like it."

They continue to dance to the ethereal music, but as the music swells and Lance, so entranced, leans into Shiro's wide chest and relaxes more, only for the opposite to happen as Shiro tenses. Leaning back Lance gazes up, but Shiro continues to look down and away from him. Stopping, other couples move around and soon they have a pocket of space to themselves.

"What's wrong?" Lance asks calmly as he reaches out to gently cup Shiro's cheeks and raise his head to look at him.

"Nothing."

But Lance waits knowing that he will tell him. And suddenly he's taking a deep breath before looking at him with stormy eyes.

"Did I do the right thing with..." And he trails off.

"Prince Kano? Ancients yes! I think he was trying to inviting me back." Lance says with a relieved laugh as he drops his hold on Shiro's face.

"Good." Shiro sighs like he just defused a bomb.

"Why?" Lance asks, confused to why this would be a problem.

"Because I don't ... really have the right to." He says almost defeated.

Lance looks into Shiro's eyes in confusion, but he's not letting up.

"What do you mean?"

"Lance I – It's –" And his brow furrows as he stops short, but Lance just nods to him to continue and take his hands hanging limply at his side.

"Shiro?"

"Lance I want there to be an  _us_." Shiro tells him as he holds onto his hands tight.

Lance feels his own eyebrows furrow as he ask quietly, "Aren't we?" 

Shiro's eyes widen and a shy blush worked its way across his cheeks, "I... I don't – I mean we've been through a lot and our feelings are the same and it seems obviously, but we don't have a title and...and I want to be able to call you mine if yo—"

"Yes!" Lance cries, jumping up and down, "Yes I would like us to be  _us_  too! Officially not obviously."

Shiro is shocked for only a moment before he's smiling beatifically, leaning down, and sweeping him into a wonderful kiss. The first kiss of many as a courting couple!

Scratch that original thought. Tonight hasn't been great — It's been fantastic!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're official now! You know what that means....


	6. Castle Vlog (Shance)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date! Date! Date! Date! DATE!!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't want to give away the surprise, but I will be referencing thebiscuiteternal @ tumblr (Cosmic_Biscuit on ao3) creations.

"I don't think I've ever said this, but I am quite glad this diplomatic mission is over. The Varmii are much too long winded." Allura complains primly in a way only a princess could.

"That's putting it mildly." Shiro agrees.

He is definitly for crossing t's and dotting i's, but the actual proofreading of the agreement at the meeting is where Shiro draws the line. 

As they sail through the wormhole back to the Castle Shiro catches himself gazing at the Blue Lion and thinking about Lance, though he's never far from his mind now, seeing her and knowing Allura was piloting her has some thoughts that have been circulating since the gala come to the forefront of his mind. Taking a deep breathe Shiro contacts Allura.

"Yes Shiro? Is something wrong?" She asks as her worried face shows up on his dashboard screen.

"No. Nothing's wrong..... Lance and I have started dating, or courting as he said." Shiro says shyly hoping the softer tone will make this okay.

At her sigh of relief Shiro realizes he had nothing to worry about.

"That's so sweet! Also, finally! I've been waiting for you to say something so I could give you my blessing." Allura smiles.

"Thank you."

"Well what did you want to ask? Because I could hear that from Lance – though why I haven't is a conversation for later –" Allura mutters peevishly, "So what do you need help with?" She asks.

"Is there anything I'm supposed to or not supposed to do when dating an Altean?"

"We have an hour, I can explain everything I know."

_There's that much?_

Turns out there is quite a lot, from the etiquette of choosing a date location to how each date should progress, the time each date should take based on the importance of the day, but overall the most important was the first date. Which sounds obvious, but it really was important.

"Since you've asked you must choose the first location and activity as well as purchasing or creating a gift. It is appropriate that you bring a gift on the first date that will show your knowledge of them and it will decide if you are a good match. In layman's terms a gift that exemplifies Lance."

"That's a lot of pressure for a first date." Shiro states, a bit overwhelmed by these customs, but not deterred.

"We take love very seriously." Allura frowns.

Shiro waits for an explanation on that, but the hard stare she keeps gives him has him moving on quickly.

"Okay, so a gift that is Lance. Where would I even find something like that?" He says to himself.

"The mall!" Allura blurts very un-princessly, frightening Shiro enough he almost dive bombs Black.

Giving the princess an exasperated glare that she returns it with a look that says she's only slightly ashamed at her outburst. Shiro stares at her in suspicion and raises an eyebrow as he asks,

"Didn't Pidge ban you from going to the mall?" 

Allura's face morphs into a hilariously pinched look at that as she opens and closes her mouth several time before answering.

"She banned me from going alone, but you, you'll be going so I won't be alone and we're only looking for Lance." She says slyly.

A couple months back the two royals had all but been forced by Coran to stop working as they had started to work themselves into the ground over a universal agreement Lance and Kolivan had created. After Allura almost drank a cup of poisonous egg whites that Hunk had separate from the eatable yolks and Lance successfully fell asleep standing up in one of the hallways Coran banned them from diplomacy for a whole day. Apparently after sleeping for twelve hours that meant going to the mall. They thought nothing of it until they came back laden with bags from multiple shops. They even got Allura a large pink hat, it could put any English Victorian hat to shame with the size, flower arrangement, and plumage. They looked rested and well, which was the opposite of the bill they racked up on the card with a total of 100,000.98 GAC! Pidge had about blown a fuse a she had to redo a budget after and made it a rule that not a single royal Altean could hold their space debit card again.

Or else.

Shiro's lips turn down as he looks at the princess trying to appear as innocent as possible despite the contrary. But she does know her brother better so he's going to have to risk it – within reason.

"Okay. But I'm holding the card."

"Of course." She smiles coyly showing off her bright teeth.

And Shiro would trust a viper before her with that smile. He was going to need to hide the card in his shoe or something, less he risk pain by Pidge's "gremlin rage" as Matt called. All Shiro knew is that anything mechanical he would used won't work. He had seen it happened to Matt once when they were on Earth and he didn't want that. 

In the next two days Allura finds time to get to the mall and snatches him from a meeting with Coran and Hunk, but only after Allura decides on an outfit to wear to the mall. It was sadly from a small group of sixty outfits that she had purchased during the last trip. It doesn't take as long as Shiro fears and they get there and wander about – which gets him a new grey v-neck and a rusty brown jacket that feels like leather that Allura talks him into for his first date even if he didn't know where he was going to take Lance yet. But in the end Shiro can't find anything that really says 'Lance'. Of course he sees things he would like, but it's not the same as something he would treasure.

Coming back defeated really hampers his mood and brings his constant headache back as he continues to go through reports and other documents. Thank goodness Allura told him about this office, which made it so much simpler to not only have his own place for work, but also his own way of filing documents away. And eventually the routine procedure of his work takes his mind away from not finding something. But just then Lance walks while he's in the middle of finishing a trade agreement between two planets in a binary system. They were freed a month ago, but issues around what each planet needed for reconstruction was getting muddled and people were getting antsy. Hopefully this would take the pressure of both planets until they can find new sources. Looking up from the document he takes the three reports Lance passes over with a flat smile. Shiro can only shrug because even though they have more help with the coalition, most of it is still funneled through their approval first.

"I could tell you briefly what the reports are about so you only have to skim them later." Lance kindly suggests again.

Shiro gives him a hint of a smile and replies, "You know I'll read them through anyway."

"Well just in case it works this time, Chancellor Zade of Mivalia is reporting on the slowness to complete their orbital defense since their economy has slowed with Galra not taking their zethuelium. But the Planet Esiabau has use for it and will start trading with them their excess stores of food so they can use the zethuelium to complete their early warning laser system. The second one is just a cursory update from Chieftain Sorix of Ubiuq on their infrastructure and how they're able to do a full overhaul now. And finally, Luxia is remarking on how the Merosa are making good time on the defrostation of the planet as well as mining operations for coralite going splendidly well and how their next haul will be enough for three more planets to use."

While the first two were cursory Queen Luxia's report was some good news in the crowd of regularly tried news, or worse. The coralite was a metal that formed from dead creatures on their planet and was created in just two years time. The metal was highly durable and malleable, perfect for building up planets' infrastructure or defense capabilities. And it was invaluable to the planets surrounding the water world who had been under Galra control as an ice world had no purpose for them.

But something strikes Shiro as odd when he hears Lance sparks-notes version of the reports. 

_He calls the Queen by her first name. Of course he does. It's a water world, he loves the ocean._

Shiro's eyes widen as an idea takes hold of how he can give the ocean to Lance – with a few added features – and make a gift uniquely his. He doesn't know why he hasn't thought of this before, Lance loves talking to them and has immediately jumped at an opportunity to talk with any delegation in the Siliv quadrant if only to visit the Merosa afterwards.

Standing quickly from the desk the chair scraps across the tile floor making Lance jolt back and look at him like a startled puppy.

"Was it something I said?" Lance asks alarmed.

"No, you just reminded me that I have to meet with some royalty in the Sarvis quadrant." Shiro lies quickly as he runs out the room leaving his bewildered boyfriend behind.

Luckily, he knows Allura is running diagnostics on the ship from the bridge and sprints for it. 

"Allura," He calls out as he jogs to his elevator for Black, "I know what to do."

"You do? How can I help?" She asks waving the screens away.

"I need a wormhole to Alitaqui." Shiro says with a smile as the elevator doors closes around him.

* * *

"Welcome Black Paladin. How may I be of assistance?" Queen Luxia greets him from her sizable clam throne before swimming to meet him halfway, though it looks more like she is just gliding effortless towards him.

"Thank you for seeing me. And the assistance is more of a personal matter." He says quietly as he takes her extended arm into the crook of his own and allows her to stir him away from most of the court.

"Ah matters of the heart. Would it have anything to do with your dance and kiss at the gala with the young prince?" She says with playful grin as they enter an antechamber.

"It does," Shiro embarrassingly admits, not really planning on telling their allies his business. But he specifically needed her help, "We've started courting."

She lets loses a set of high trills that sound happy and excited to Shiro's ears.

"Joyous tides!" The queen smiles brightly, "Lance deserves a caring prince-consort like you."

Shiro flushes and tries to work his jaw to say something as he awkwardly rubs the back of his helmet, "That's... um... yeah..."

"I will do whatever I can. I could never stop repaying him for what he and his friend has done for us. Nor you, for what you are doing for the universe." The queen says kindly.

"Thank you. And for your help as well." Shiro replies sincerely.

She nods her thanks before staring at him intently with hands clasp, like she was waiting —

"Oh! I only need a few things, but a pearl is the most important."

 

"Pidge emergency shopping trip!" Lance slides into the hanger in a panic.

_I need that card!_

But Pidge doesn't even looks up from what she's welding on the table, giving him no choice.

"No! No you aren't —" Not letting her finish Lance scoops up the short Human making her drop the welding iron. After checking that its off Lance sprints for the door.

"Lance put me down now!" Pidge screams as she pounds on his back.

"No time!"

"Make time!" She yells as she leans up and pulls his right ear back.

"Owowowow! Okay just stop."

Sitting Pidge down she crosses her arms and gives him an expectant look that only promises bodily harm if his reasoning isn't good enough for her.

"Shiro asked me out on a date." Lance tells her shyly as he thinks back to how sweetly he had asked him.

Shiro had spooked him by coming up behind him and wrapping his arms around him while he was ordering their battle plans. Leaving a trail of ticklish kisses up his neck he whispers hello into his ear with a few other compliments before asking if he was up for a date in four quintants time. Lance's answer was turning in Shiro's hold and kissing the starlights out of him. Lance then gets to tenderly watch Shiro as he saunters down the hall with a satisfied smirk on his kiss bruised lips, but the moment after he rounds the bend the implications of what Lance just agreed to hit him and he is running to Pidge's hanger, desperate for her help.

But Pidge is not moved by his statement and what Hunk calls his 'doe-eye heart eyes'. She seems more inconvenienced by it.

"That's it."

"No-no you don't understand I need to get him a gift."

With an arched look Pidge continues to stare at him in confusion, "You're right. I don't understand."

"Okay so two movements ago, at the gala, Shiro asked if we could start courting. I said 'yes' of course —"

"Of course." Pidge interjects blandly. 

"And since he asked he has to choose the first date location. He finally did, but since he did that means he's ready with his gift and I still have to get him a gift!"

"You have to?"

"I have to! It's appropriate that you bring a gift on the first date that will show your knowledge of them and it will decide if you're a good match. Its – its just something we do!" Lance waves his hands around trying to express his point before just spreading his arms at her with a 'You see this is important' gaze.

Pidge stares at him for a bit longer before sighing dramatically and turning around to walk back to her hanger, leaving Lance. As he watches her go he can't help his inside collapse in on itself, falling into a slump near the wall he watches as his perfect plan and his way to officially win Shiro's heart was in ashes. Maybe she was a lot more upset about the 100,000.98 GAC then he thought. Or maybe he had bugged her too many times and she was ignoring him. It would make  —

"Hey!"

Turning down the hall Pidge gives him a look that can only be described as 'Why are you like this' and says, "What are you doing we need to get you to the space mall."

"Really?" Lance says hopefully.

"Yeah, I just need to get my bag. Stop moping in the hall and go wait at the pod."

With Pidge's getting her bag Lance makes it the bridge to open a gate and then makes his way down to the pod to wait for her. Before they know it they are arriving at the mall and Lance marches his way to the shop he saw during his and Allura's last trip. It had the best gift for Shiro, he could only hope that they were still there. Not changing into a more discreet outfit his royal jumpsuit made many of the mall-goers move out of his way. Or it could be how determined he looked, who knows. 

"So where is our illustrious leader taking you?" Pidge asks as they walk pass the fountain they had waited through for coins. 

"Setryx." Lance answers as he tries to remember if it was to the right or the left of the spinner top stand.

Pidge squints as she mentally runs through the planets they been to or around.

"Isn't that a desert planet?"

"Its not all desert."

It really wasn't with it's towering plateaus and colorful canyons that had rivers going through them and wide plains and patches of vegetation were about the planet's rocky and sandy surface.

"True. It's more like Nevada, but you can't go in your clothes. You'll need something different like what you wore to the mall last time."

"I can do that," Lance tells her cheerfully deciding that left seemed the best choice, "Shiro already said pants would be best and to wear a jacket, so we're here for a jacket and a present."

"Do you not have a jacket?" Pidge asks, but Lance could tell it was her more or less saying no to him buying a new jacket.

"But Pidge —"

"'But nothing'. No, this," And Pidge pulls out the bright reflective card and shakes it viciously in his face – technically his chest – but he's not going to comment on that, "This is for important things, not royal wiles!"

"Pleaseeeee." Lance tries with fluttering his eyelashes.

"I have a older brother. You won't break me." Pidge says stonily.

Lance stands up straighter and says blandly, "Allura is my sister."

They have a stare-down right there in the middle of the mall and if they were paying attention they would notice how freaked out everyone was around them as they give them a wide berth, walking pressed up near the shop fronts.

"We'll see after." Pidge finally grouses and Lance makes sure her back is turned around before doing a short victory dance.

Soon they arrive at the store that Lance saw last time and chuckles at Pidge crinkling her nose at the cutesy writing on the front.

"Here?" She asks disappointingly.

"Yes." He states proudly.

"Yeah, if he was into dolls maybe." He hears her mutter.

"It's not what you think. Come on let's just go."

It takes him a moment, but when he sees that they're still there he can't help grinning.

"Its perfect."

Pidge walks forward, after staring at it, and reads the description with the help of the translator and Lance excitedly watches as Pidge's eyes widened with surprise.

"Wow. This would be great for Shiro."

"I know!" Lance cries, giddy with excitement for how Shiro would react, "Now put those tiny arms to use and help me buy the accessories!"

"Yippee." She groans, but he sees her smiling as she turns away to talk to a sale person.

 

Shiro is double checking his rental message when he hears the elevator doors opening in the hanger. Looking up, Shiro smiles lazily as he pushes off the pod and lets himself unabashedly gazes at his boyfriend.

He was off-duty and watching Lance was becoming a favorite past time for him.

Once again he was wearing clothes that look almost Earth-like. Lance wore washed out skinny jeans that hugged his legs in all the right places. Paired with it was a simple white crop top t-shirt with a green jacket with a white hood. He also wore the same boots that he wore to the mall and forwent his circlet, but kept his comm earrings and was wearing a thin black choker too. After dragging he's eyes from everything that made Lance look great he notices that he was holding a box with a densely meshed top. 

Sending him a curious glance at the box and back to him Lance smiles secretly and whispers, "It's your gift. I'll give it to you after."

Grinning back, Shiro enters the code and steps back for Lance to walk in first, "Then let's go have fun."

* * *

"What?" Lance laughs as he looks at what's in front of them before turning a bright smile to him.

"We're going riding." Shiro grins as he passes the bookbag he was carrying to Lance.

They had landed in front of a decent-size two story garage with an inside a lot cleaner then its sandblasted outside. Shiro had found this by mere coincidence and he couldn't be happier. On Setryx there was a lovely array of small canyons and valleys that were a tourist attraction and it was perfect to walk through or ride through on hoverbikes, which you could rent for a couple of hours to go out and enjoy the landscape. It would be a fun adventure for both of them, especially with this a cherry red [hoverbike](https://www.artstation.com/artwork/hover-racer-b7235aef-d2ef-48cc-b736-6830c00ab015) which he had been told could get to its top speed in 4 ticks. 

Getting on Shiro almost feels like being home and he probably would've stay stuck in his nostalgia if another body didn't drap themselves over his back.

"Are you comfortable?" He asks as Lance nuzzles into the back of the new jacket he got for this occasion.

"I'm okay," Lance answers as Shiro starts to ease them out of the garage and away from the building. Just as he is readjusting his helmet and goggles Lance  leans directly over his shoulder and whispers dangerously into his ear, "Alright big boy. Show me something."

As he revs the engine the trill of anticipation has Shiro grinning, "Be careful what you wish for."

And they're off with Lance's happy laughter louder than the engine. The exhilaration of wind hitting him in the face, the land blurring at the sides as his focuses ahead, and the warmth from the sun and from Lance is indescribable. Zooming off the sand dunes they drop down into a canyon and Shiro lets the raw power out. Lance yells happily at the switch changes Shiro takes through the wide curving channels of warm pink and red rocks. They get lucky and end up coming across a flooded channel and Shiro follows the river – on the side of the canyon wall – and risking a glance back sees Lance lean his hand down to let his fingers skim over the turquoise surface. In quick turn there out of the canyon and flying down the land side-by-side a growing river the meanders into a valley. At the end is the location Shiro knew Lance would feel some of his own nostalgia and it was only a thirty minutes ride away.

In the valley there was nothing but soft grass plains with purple and magenta flowers in bloom everywhere. Shiro slows so he doesn't damage the vegetation with the bike's exhaust that was blowing out burning hot air. As he turns off the bike he feels his passenger getting off the back. Turning to him he watches with a fond smile as Lance slowly walks through the field, gently sidestepping the lily-like flowers. Shiro gets up and follows quietly, letting Lance have his moment as he takes off his helmet to get a better view. When he turns around Shiro almost can't keep gazing at him as Lance's eyes are so full of emotions as he whispers,

"Oh! Oh Shiro it's - it's beautiful. It's like .... it's like Altea."

"I'm glad you like, because we're going to be here for a bit."

Walking up he takes the bookbag from Lance and pulls out an orange tablecloth that he lays out and pulls out a wide and long rectangular box that inside has small finger foods that Hunk had help him make for today. They sit and relax as the temperature is mild, but the planet's star is still high in the sky and resting against each other gets very warm very quickly. As Shiro reaches for his own zipper he glances over and see Lance already shrugging his jacket off to show off his t-shirt being a short-sleeve crop top with deep blue sleeves. 

"Always trying to show off some skin." Shiro teases as he bends down to kiss the sun-warmed skin.

"Whenever I can find the right moment." Lance snickers as he leans back into his side.

They spend the next two hours relaxing, eating, talking, and asking each other questions like the strangest thing they've eaten? Favorite activity in different seasons? Funniest mission?

As Lance recounts a mission with him, Hunk, and Keith trying to sneak through Galra defenses in a market place to get to an informant with Keith challenging one of the young guards to arm wrestling  while they snuck into the shop and Hunk had to have an eye-staring contest with the informant's guard to prove their worth. As Shiro laughs at the series of event he also finds himself laughing at how happy he feels in this moment.

* * *

"So like I said. It's after and I know whatever you got me is the best, plus yours is kinda fragile so I'm glad I didn't bring it with us." Lance tells him as sits on the floor in front of him.

It took them half a varga to get from Setryx to the Castle by Teludav and with the pod on autopilot it was the perfect time to exchange gifts.

Lance gently places the box in Shiro's crossed legs and he waits excitedly as he gingerly takes the top off. Shiro looks inside and is confused, but not as confused when it looks up at him. Inside the box was a small black [floof](https://notllorstel.tumblr.com/post/152479699371/thebiscuiteternal-adorbs-fluff-ball-thatchia) about the size of a kitten, but when it wiggles and moves to the edge of the box it takes a form similar to a small puff ball mix of a wolf pup and a bunny with its triangle ears twitching back and forth and tiny waging tail. It's fur was as downy as a chinchilla's and is as black as an abyss. It has vibrant violet eyes that twinkles like stars as they stare at each other.

"Nyurr." It purrs and Shiro can't let this adorable creature not be picked up.

With the utmost care Shiro slowly slides his hands under the puff ball and finds it has about six legs. Helping it balance he brings it out and can't do more than stare at them as they stare back.

"Do you like them?"

Blinking, Shiro looks away to see Lance biting his lip in anticipation. Moving the box and laying the small creature on his leg so he can pet it, which from the low purrs they like, it gives him a second to think about what he's going to say.

"Yes. I – you got me a pet." He says in disbelief, "Why?"

"Well I remember you telling me you having a cat when you were young and how you really loved him and well, it's also to help with you." Lance says kindly.

"With me?"

"[Kittekirri](http://thebiscuiteternal.tumblr.com/post/152482574197/once-again-its-time-for-stuff-kittekirri-as-a) are semi-empathic creatures that have been great in helping with therapy for people who have seizures, panic attacks, or —"

"Suffer from PTSD." Shiro finishes as he looks down at the kittekirri nuzzling at his hand. 

He knows he suffering from a variant of it, but saying it out loud – acknowledging it – sits in his stomach weird.

"Yeah. She's for when you want to be alone, but you still need a buddy." Lance says slowly and Shiro can only stare back astonished.

The sentiment behind this gift is leaving him speechless and unable to really form any other words the express his gratitude besides thank you.

"Thank you. Lance this – this is really thoughtful. What's her name?"

The wide smile on Lance's face cracks at that as he starts to fumble his words as he tries to explain himself, "Well, actually, they're – ah – actually genderless – I just accidentally got attached and start to call them one name and they reacted and sh-they're yours so—"

"Lance," Shiro cuts him of with a chuckle, "What's her name?"

"Thatchia," He sighs looking away embarrassed, if his ears tilting forward almost like they were wilting say anything, "It's a girl's name that means 'new beginnings' and I – just – it seem perfect. She named herself."

Lance looks back at him Shiro reaches across the short divide to bring him closer to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

"The name is perfect. Thank you again."

Lance looks down as he bites his lip before turning back to kiss him, but they don't get far as they hear something that sounds like someone sucking in air through the gaps in their teeth. Looking down Thatchia looks back at them innocently as if she wasn't demanding attention a second earlier and Shiro knows he's going to cater to her indefinitely.

"And now she looks like she'll be perfectly spoiled too. Won't you?" He ask as he scratches under her chin and watches in amusement as her eyes close and she stretches herself out more to get the scratches, purring loudly again.

_So cute._

But switching his gaze to Lance he thinks his boyfriend's face will look cuter after he gives him his gift.

"Now it's your turn."

 

Even though Shiro was giving him a gift Lance was happy with the joy he had gotten from just giving Shiro a companion. But at seeing the small box Shiro pulled out from inside his jacket Lance couldn't denied he was a bit excited to know what Shiro got him. Passing him the small box Lance leans into him and opens it, finding an adorable white and blue [seashell](https://www.etsy.com/listing/172713466/seashell-locket-clam-shell-locket?utm_source=Pinterest&utm_medium=PageTools&utm_campaign=Share#) necklace on a golden chain with a stylized 'L' on one side and an unknown aquatic creature on the other.

"What's this?" He asks holding the golden charm closer to his face. Whatever it was it look like such a serene creature.

"That's a whale shark. There very harmless despite the name. Marine biologists often take photos of them swimming together." Shiro tells him, "But that's not all. Open it."

Grinning at him Lance peers down at the locket and opens it. Immediately he can tell it's one of those infinity space lockets, bigger on the inside than out, as a single pearl raises out of a midnight color gel. And before Lance can ask or say anything else it starts to faintly glow before in a tiny flash the small pearl quadruples in size to the size of his palm. His curiousness gets the better of him as Lance lightly touches it. It ripples, like a puddle, under his finger only to then have the ripples to bring into focus an ocean and begin to play a small nautical scene.

Tiny oceanic creatures, ones from Shiro planet, swim by in this brilliant reef and are colored in such a way that Lance know it's their friends.

"Pidge." Lance giggles as he points to the small green creature gliding across the sand only to change colors and hide.

"Cuttlefish. They're pretty smart."

Lance chuckles at that as he think 'of course they are' only for his attention to be grabbed by a passing reptile of sorts that moves like a bird in the ocean currents, sticking out with its yellow shell. 

"Hunk."

"Sea turtle."

Then a flat creature with wide black wings swims pass the slower moving sea Hunk in a dazzling set of twists and turns.

Leaning back onto Shiro's shoulder Lance asks, "You?"

"Manta ray. My favorite." He answers, grinning down at him.

Turning back to the pearl the Manta ray carries the scene away to more open waters where Lance laughs in delight when he see a pod of whiskered Tiechtion that were bright orange.

"Coran!"

But soon they're all scattering as another fish with a red streamlined body and a long tail fin swims rudely through the pod, it's tail catching some of the fish Coran.

"Keith." Lance says in a huff as he tries not to laugh at the image.

"Thrasher shark."

As shark Keith, because of course one of his favorite animals is a predator, swims away the waters get murkier and soon Lance understands why as he can set the spots that were colored pink instead of the usual pale green. And as the creature rises from the depths Lance gasps.

"Allura as a Kul'Ilata!" He exclaims turning to grab Shiro's left arm, "How did you?"

But Shiro quietly puts his pointer finger to his smiling lips and Lance settles back to keep watching and that's when he notices the music. The [music](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e96lkRatLc) they danced to at the celebration gala. His mouth drops open in surprise, not believing it was playing music too. How could he have missed it.

"It's playing music." He whispers to himself as the enjoyment of watching his sister's favorite ocean creature is doubled as the nine tentacles move around its armored reptilian head in time with the notes.

"I was wondering when you were going to notice that." Shiro teases softly.

Too engrossed Lance merely nudges him in his side as he continues to watch as much movement as he can.

"Its all so beautiful I can't be expected to focus on everything. I'll have to watch it multiple times." He tells him.

Shiro wraps his left arm around his waist and resting his hand on the top of Lance's legs, which are stretched out to the side, he gently pats them.

"I hope."

"I will." Lance promises.

But as Allura disappears into the depths again the water brightens as it goes back towards the surface, but has a much more turquoise tint to it. And that's when Lance sees the whale shark in all it large magnificent beauty. It's deep blue and white spots are adorable and Lance can't help looking over and asking hopefully,

"Me?"

Shiro nods his head 'yes', "And the best part is that's it's natural color."

Lance watches as his animal swims gracefully into the distance with the last cheerful high note. With it over the pearl flashes again and shrinks as it settles back into the midnight gel. Lance closes it and just stares happily at it not knowing what to say to this too perfect gift. He can hear Shiro explain how he went to Alitaqui and got Luxia's help with the shell, the pearl, and the imagery. How Allura took snaps of the memories of these sea creatures after everyone told him their favorite. How Allura and Coran looked up their own and gave them references for that so he could take it to Olkarion where they turn his idea into a reality.

"Why?" Lance whispers, unsure of what else to ask.

Shiro shrugs and smiles gently at him, "I know how much you love the ocean so I got it for you. With the addition of your friends and family that you care about so much."

Lance clutches the locket tightly in his hands and holds it to his chest as his own heart squeezes in happiness and love for this man.

"It's perfect," He tells him, still unable to get his voice above a whisper, "Will you put it on for me?" He ask holding it out to Shiro.

With the utmost care he takes the locket and brings it around to link it around his neck, and it sits well on his chest matching with the choker he already has on.

"It also doubles as a music box if you tap the pearl twice instead of once." Shiro tells him, snapping him out of his admiration of his gift.

"You think of everything." Lance turns to smile at him.

"Yeah, but I'll go the extra mile for you."

Shiro smirks as he leans in to kiss him and Lance proudly throws his arms around his neck to kiss him back, and at this moment Lance is truly the happiest he's ever been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Cosmic_Biscuit for their O.K. to use their OC Thatchia.


	7. The future in the hands of the children

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trusting Lotor is not an option, but it is the only one if they want to continue breaking down the Galra empire. But it could break them instead.

"Your father, King Alfor, once stood side by side with Zarkon and protected the universe from harm. There was no foe the Paladins of old couldn't defeat. Sadly, that time of peace has been lost, but, together, we can find it once more. Princess. Prince. Imagine, a new generation that could lift the mantle of peace. The children of King Alfor and Emperor Zarkon, us, a royal alliance between Altean and Galra."

As Lotor weaves his gossamer words Lance sees Allura getting wrapped up in this idealistic world the Galra prince is speaking of.

"I don't think so." Lance cuts in, moving closer to his sister and placing a hand on her shoulder to at least bring her back from the fantasy.

"Lies! Every word is a lie!" Pidge yells looking as angry as she used to when they first started to form Voltron.

"And what of Zarkon's words? You think he'll return your father as he says? You think the corrupted leader of a ruthless empire will be true to his word? He wants more than just me." Lotor sneers at her.

"You think he'll double-cross us." Shiro states, and with Zarkon it was an obvious event that could happen. 

"I think he'd do anything to rid himself of me and claim the Lions of Voltron and your Prince." Lotor replies as he looks to him.

"What?" Lance asks looking back to the other prince.

But Allura's response has him on edge.

"How did you know about that?" She asks sounding calm, but her eyes widened in fear.

Turning slowly to Allura, Lance can't help but feel confused as something regarding himself is completely unknown to him.

"What do you mean, 'How does he know?' What does he know?" Lance asks.

And as Allura glances at him her eyes soften into the 'I only wanted to protect you' look and whatever she was going to say Lance knows he's going to hate the answer. But it doesn't come from her. It come from Lotor.

"It was posited by my mother, the late Empress Honvera, and your own father that if given a sufficient amount of quintessence and an ancient Altean ritual was preformed than you, Prince A'lanor, could control all of Voltron due to your connections. When you were captured phoebs ago it was determined possible that Haggar and her Druid's magic would be enough to curdled your connection and use it against the universe."

"Wait. You do?" Hunk turns to him with a look of stupidified awe.

"No! It's not — I'm powerful, but not – I –"

With every word Lance could only stare back at everyone in horrified shock. He couldn't be such a pivotal piece in this war. He can't be that much of a key figure. The danger he was putting the team in every time they went out in any official or unofficial capacity could be the whole coalition's downfall.

"It's true."

Lance's inner thoughts screech to a stop at the voice and slowly turns to it. Lance is suddenly nauseous as he looks into the sorrowful and helpless look Shiro gives him before a stoic exterior slides over his face as he explains himself.

"When I was creating a stronger link with the Black Lion I was pulled into the astral plane and attacked by Zarkon. He told me something similar and with you confirming other aspects like the bonds with all the Lions or knowing when Zarkon was going to attack it was clear that everything was linked and —"

"And you didn't say anything? Either of you?!" He yells looking between two of the most important people in his life and feeling unbelievably betrayed.

"I was trying to pro—" Allura tries, but Lance can't stand to hear the same rhetoric she says every single time she thinks she's right.

"Shut up! Just shut up," He breathes angrily as he clenches his hands, "You –you can't be this protective. It ..... This is why you attack the Blue Lion." Lance realizes as he looks to the Galra prince.

"It would have been the best option;" Lotor states coolly, "Remove one part of Voltron – the strongest one at that – and have a Prince to ransom as well. With you in my custody I would have been free to change the Galra empire and have no fear of opposition."

"And now you want an alliance that could end the war?" Lance asks not at all convinced after hearing this.

"What?" Pidge shouts turning back and forth to everyone looking ready to burst.

"It's not ideal. I don't fully trust the Galra, but it could be our best option. It has been recently." Allura steps forward, but Pidge steps out of her reach.

"No!"

"Pidge, think of the lives we could save. Think of the countless worlds we could free." Allura tries to appease her, but it has the opposite affect.

"Think of.  _My_. Father!" Pidge screams, her voice echoing in the empty prison.

"I'm sorry Allura, but I agree with Pidge," Lance says, not only agreeing with her, but still feeling pissed off and petty about it contributes to that too, "It's too risky and we've handled the Galra before. Right, Hunk?"

"I don't know," And both Pidge and him turn to him in shock, "I mean, if this dude is on our side like he says he is — You are saying you're on our side, right? Couldn't he lead the Galra toward peace from inside?" Hunk asks, which while a good point doesn't mean anyone has to like it.

"We are turning him in and getting my dad back! We have Voltron to bring peace to the universe!" Pidge argues.

"Don't play into Zarkon's hands!" Lotor raises his voice and snarls, which has Lance taking a step back at the display.

"That's enough!"

They all turn to Shiro and even if Lance is still mad at him he wants to go up and wrap him in a hug, but knows it isn't the time or place. His fists shake at his sides and Lance can see how tensely Shiro's holding himself. He can also see sweat starting to collect on his brow and his right eye twitching as it does when he's experiencing a migraine. 

"We don't have a choice. We have much more at stake then you Prince Lotor. We are going through with the exchange." He intones before turning away and walking to the elevator, leaving behind a team that is being plagued by too many thoughts and feelings of validation, confusion, and betrayal.

* * *

When the the blast dissipates and the smoke clears Lance opens his eyes to look down at the two figures below them, but unable to see them clearly. When Red zooms in on Zarkon and Lotor Lance feels like he's swallowing his own tongue and that his heart was falling out of his chest completely.

There, kneeling on the ground, impaled with a piece of shrapnel and bleeding sluggishly was Zarkon. 

Dead.

Lance couldn't breathe, but it also doesn't stop the excited and painful gasping wail that escapes him.

_He's ... gone. He's really gone._

A coughing exhale was only the beginning as a bubbling rise of hysterical giggles flows from his lips. Slapping his hands over his mouth before anymore spill out his tears slide down his face undettered.

_It's over..... It's finally over and we're closer to the end. Finally._

".....Goodbye."

* * *

"They should be here any minute." Allura says filling the silence as they wait for the rest of the team.

"Good. There is much to discuss." Lotor says though he doesn't look up from his complainting pose as he continues to stare at the floor.

Allura looks to him, but Lance isn't really sure what else to do and honestly doesn't think they should press. But ignoring him as he shakes his head 'no' she asks,

"Are you all right?"

"Allura! He just —"

"No. Prince. It's alright, I'll be fine." Lotor cuts him off with a truly fake grin before he's back to staring at the floor.

"What you did was for the greater good. And for many of us, proof of your intentions for peace." Allura continues looking pointly at Lance as she says it, while Lotor looks to her in barely conceal shock. 

Lance opens his mouth to refute her accusations, but the door beeps and their attention is turned to it as Lotor stands for his audience.

"Look, it's Prince Lotor," Hunk points out sounding unsettled, "Just hangin' out on the bridge."

"Guess this is a thing that's happening." Pidge agrees with a raised eyebrow.

"I suppose we'll have to get used to it. Like my Zarbloovian intestinal eel," Coran says, which Lance was sure he got that taken care of, but at the muffled screech he knew that wasn't the case, "Easy, fella." Coran pats his stomach before standing up straight again.

Shiro ignores all of this and walks forward with a pragmatic and grim facade, stopping to stand rigidly in front of Lotor.

"What's going on, Lotor?"

"The death of my father has created a power vacuum within the Galra Empire. The most formidable Galra leaders will gather for what is called the Kral Zera sometime in the next two days to decide who will take the throne. We must be there." He tells them, making no room for discussion.

Lance stares at him for a moment to see if his fellow prince was serious and blinks at him when he says nothing else.

"So, you want us to fly you into the middle of a meeting with all of the most powerful Galra commanders?" Lance asks not believing the words he was saying.

Bring Voltron to a situation where they would be unceremoniously out numbered was ridiculous.

"Lotor, we appreciate all that you've sacrificed, but this sounds far too dangerous." Allura says almost sadly that she couldn't help him.

"We've been in more dangerous situations with much less to gain. Putting Lotor on the Galra throne is what we've been discussing." Shiro argues as he turns to Allura.

"Yeah, but no one told us that would mean flying into a war zone." Pidge points out.

"We can't plan an operation this important so quickly." Allura tries to bring Shiro around, but he's not having it.

"We don't have a choice." 

"We need time to think this over." Lance tries, he hopes that this suggestion would cool the flames.

It's not a yes, but it's also not a no.

"Prince, this is not your call." Shiro says calmly as he spares a quick glance to him before turning back to his sister.

Lance is taken aback before bitting his lips to keep an apathetic expression at not only Shiro's blatant dismissal – something he's never done before – but also the use of his title. He hasn't been 'prince' in a long time. 

"Allura, the coalition wouldn't be where it is right now without Lotor. We need to listen to him."

"Well, I'm with Allura. This is too dangerous to pull off at the last minute." Pidge agrees with him and his sister.

"Agreed. So, it looks like it's four-to-two, in the Princess's favor." Coran calls out.

"Look, this isn't a vote. I'm the leader of Voltron. I'm making this decision." Shiro says gruffly as his shoulders roll back and tense up – as if he's getting ready for a fight.

"Like when you armed Lotor with your bayard without consulting the rest of us?" Allura calls him out, stepping forward.

"That's right. Making that decision resulted in the removal of Zarkon." Shiro says completely unrepentantive of his actions.

At that moment Lance doesn't know who he's looking at. Shiro would never disregard safety like this or actively try to argue with his sister. Something was wrong. 

"You put the entire operation in jeopardy." Allura growls taking another step forward.

"I put an end to Zarkon's reign. Now is the time to finish the job." Shiro says coldly with a dangerous glint in his eyes as he did.

Not liking how this was escalating or the tension burning at everyone's skin Lance step forward and reaches out his hand to Shiro, in hopes of calming him. It may not be his call, but being second-in-command does have some say.

"Shiro, we're all on the same side here." He says gently.

"I told you to stay out of this!" Shiro shouts, eyes flashing with fury as he turns all his rage at him like he was going to charge.

"Shiro!" Allura screams back walking from Lotor's left to stand in front of him protectively, blocking him from Shiro.

Lance is shocked and confused as he watches Shiro turn away looking bedraggled like he did after some of his worst stress headaches, but it doesn't stop the anger from bubbling inside him. His surprise expression slides off his face in favor of him grinding his teeth together to stop himself from blowing up too.

"While you all waste time squabbling, sinister forces are conspiring to fill the Galra power void. If I do not return to claim the throne, there is no telling who will." Lotor says perturbed as he stares at all of them with a critical eye.

"Good. It's settled." Shiro says gruffly, still not looking at anyone.

"How's that settled?" Pidge asked.

"Our hands are tied. The Kral Zera is happening. If we want to stop the Galra, we need to put Lotor on the throne immediately." Shiro reasons and it's too much for Lance as he walks around Allura and out the door, ignoring Hunk's and Allura's call for him.

He doesn't even make to the second hall before he hears,

"Prince, you need to stop."

Spinning around, he plants himself and waits for Shiro to catch up to him.

He doesn't run up.

He walks.

Meaning whatever he's about to say isn't for his benefit or he would have rushed here.

"Why? There's nothing to talk about. You decided that O' great leader." Lance calls him out.

"This is important." Shiro says stopping a few steps in front of him, looking down at him in disappointment when he had done nothing wrong.

_Fine. I'll play his game._

"Important? Important like how I'm apparently a 'be all end all', that I couldn't even be told when it deals with my own existence. You told me you didn't want to be left in the dark, well I have trying my hardest not to. You can't ask that of someone and then not do the same. What's happening now, we need to discuss it, but you are just throwing caution to the wind, wanting to just charge in. We need to know more. Knowledge is power here and for our relationship too!" Lance tries to keep calm, but slips at the end as he mostly yells it through gritted teeth.

The unimpressed look Shiro gives him doesn't nothing for his rising temper.

"Prince, you need to understand what's at stake here." He response tersely.

And the patient he was holding snaps into a million of pieces.

"What's at stake? What's at stake?! Don't tell me what I already know! I have been in a war before your planet even had Humans! I have lost more than you can ever imagine! You don't order me around on my ship and think everything is okay with what you did!" But as Lance inhale a shuttering breath his fight stumbles and he quietly finishes, hurt, "We are a team in and out of Voltron but right now – right now it seems to be only you."

As he was going through his tirade Lance had stomped closer and closer to Shiro with him only taking one step back when Lance pokes him hard in the chest and the glint of hostility leaves. His face clears and he looks down at him horrified as if he seems to realize what he's done.

_Good. Let him think on that._

Turning around again Lance leaves the gobsmack man in the hallway as he stomps away to an unknown destination.

_Quiznak! Why do I fall for the stubborn ones?_

* * *

The pain and rage is compounded by the feriousity of the level he's on and reaches its breaking point because only a few ticks later it's all over. The laser drones are in perfect halves on the floor and he is just staring at something that might as well be a family heirloom as well as a shock from the past. Gazing up at the broadsword Lance feels a different type of heaviness as he just stares at the weapon, seeing and not seeing it.

"We haven't seen that for 10,000 years." He hears and turns so quickly he almost throws himself off balance.

Allura walks towards him with a melancholy smile and her eyes only for the sword. The 'since Father' part of her sentence is unspoken, but clearly heard.  

"I didn't know I could do this," Lance answers as he looks down at the sword in his hold, "...and I never really let him show me how either."

Though he was close to Father, Allura had a stronger relationship with him as she was being molded to be the next queen. Maybe he should have tried harder to listen when he was showing him.

"Lan—"

Shaking head to get her to stop he says quietly, "No, I'm fine."

He keeps him turned away from her so he can't see the sadness or pity he's sure is filling her eyes right now. They stand in silence for only a brief moment before Allura steps closer to lay a hand over his, clutching the handle.

"Lance. I may not say it enough and I struggle to as you are my precious baby brother, but you do not always need my protection." Allura says candidly.

And Lance can't help but to look over at her skeptically as he doubts she could ever see him as anything but a baby needing protecting.

But she continues, "You have been constantly improving and showing greatness. And I think the bayard is showing you something that I knew you had and everyone else can see too. Your ability to be a leader. I am very proud of you and I'm sure Father would be very proud of you too."

She smiles up at him encouragingly and he lets his lips turn up just a bit before going back to his frown. He is touched by her words, being a leader in his family was everything, but there were too many swirling emotions going on to react well to it.

"Thank you. But I think you need to take up part of that with the leader of Voltron." Lance answers blithely.

"I'm sure Shiro will see it too and you'll make up too, once he stops being so difficult." Allura say brightly.

Lance whips his head around to a smug Allura and just gaps at her trying to find words.

"What – Shiro – I mean –"

His attempts are met with laughter and Lance stunned into silence. They hadn't told the others yet even if they hadn't been subtle about it – mostly because Lance really didn't want to tell Coran and have another uncomfortable talk about the birds and the wallowflies again. And because he hadn't told Allura out right.

"Its fine. And you're not as sneaky as you think. Beside how do you think he knows some of the Altean courting rules?" Allura asks after her giggles die down, "I'll admit I had my doubts at first.  Sadly mostly linked to his place as the Black Paladin and the odd power dynamics between your stations —"

"Allura!" He whines, definitively not wanting to hear about that.

"But he has proven to be a rational man and a great leader. He is also very sweet and you look good together. You are both lucky to be at each other's sides." She tells him sincerely.

Lance looks back and feels most of the anger in him slink out. He had know he wanted his sister's approval, but he hadn't realized how good it was to hear it.

"Thank you." He says, holding his arms out for a hug that she quickly gives.

"Of course. Also I'm sorry about not telling you about Voltron Symbiosis Theory. I honestly thought it was better that you didn't know that two of the people you were trusting had found a way to use you." She tells him.

Stepping back from the hug he asks, "How many knew?"

"Just us five, or six counting Shiro."

Sighing he shakes his head and then his shoulders to loosen himself up and to get rid of the remaining negative emotions. Now he's just present.

"Thanks for apologizing. I'm still upset but....Yeah."

"I understand. This is not easy to handle," Allura says with a sad smile before exhaling a truly exhausting sigh, "So much has happened in such a short time and Shiro has been quite difficult lately. I assumed you would loosen him up."

"Allura!" He squeaks, "I haven't – we –"

"Oh calm down. I know that. I'm simply implying that with the amount of cuddling I've seen I expected him to be more of sound mind. It just – I'm not sure what to do, we seem to constantly be at odds."

Weighing the sword in his hands he can't deny she is right – not about the cuddling – but the other thing. Shiro had been warring with extremes for a while since Lotor came onto the scene.

"You're both under a lot of stress now and having Lotor around doesn't help, but not talking about things before making decisions isn't helpful either." Lance adds. 

"Sometimes it feels like it was easier to fight the Galra rather than to try to work with them." Allura mutters looking disappointed in the fact before changing her tune, "But it has brought us great resources.....just like before."

"Yeah and I won't lie that it hasn't been rocky, but you both have the coalition's best interests at heart. Don't forget that. Shiro isn't your enemy. He's just prone to having his moments with him holding up a third of the known universe and us on his shoulders." 

"Are you going to be alright?" Allura asks and Lance looks over confused until he remembers why he was even here in the first place.

"Yeah I'm okay," He wasn't great, but he didn't feel like punching something anymore so he called it a win, "I'm giving us some space. Trying to focus on everything else that is important."

"That's good because relationships are not my strong suite. But you're right. I need to stay focused on the big picture and be there for our team. Thank you, Lance. Speaking with you has actually made me feel better." Allura says cheerfully and more confident.

"Oh 'actually' hunh," Lance smirks, "I'll remember that when you come complaining about your hair getting knotted or disparing about what the mice are up to."

They look to each other with knowing looks before lightly laughing and finally Lance feels at ease. 

_Guess I just needed to talk it out._

"Oh, and, Lance, if you're going to try to control a sword this powerful," And he lets Allura put him into a stance, but he forgets for just a moment she is a sister and an older one at that as she soundly trips him backwards on his ass.

"You're going to need to work on your stance." She says with an air of superiority only a sister could as she leans over his fallen form with sword in hand and her other resting on her hip looking unbelievably smug with herself.

"Well," Lance says as he rolls to his feet and then stomps his foot three times. A rack of practice weapons unfolds from the wall behind him in response, "No time like the present, right?"

* * *

Lance loves watching Oklarion's sunset. And though Pidge doesn't think they're that amazing he doesn't think he'll ever get tried of how everything changes color and is highlighted in such a way that it brings out warm colors in a vibrancy you don't see often. And sitting on the shoulder of Voltron makes for a spectacular view. So caught up in it he doesn't notice he has a guest until he hears the calm and appreciative tenor of his boyfriend,

"You did great today."

Lance has to bit the inside of his lips to stop him from smiling at Shiro's compliment. He needed to work for Lance's forgiveness and a simple acknowledgment wasn't enough.

"And I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier. And about the hallway when I was trying to prove my point. It wasn't right of me to blow up over an opinion. One that shouldn't have set me off in the way it did either. And you're right – that we're a team and we should talk things out and not leave each other in the dark," Shiro continues before stepping closer and sliding down to sit almost shoulder to shoulder with him, "but we're also a team." He whispers as he lays his hand over his.

"I'm still upset." Lance says after a time.

"Understandably," Shiro huffs, "And you should be. I was a bit of a Teher's ass." 

That gets him to grin briefly thinking about the ugly bird reptile animal they had encounter a while back and how now everyone used it as a turn of phrase. But he clamps down on the smile as he turns to stare at Shiro seriously.

"Yes. You were," And seeing the sorriness in his posture, and more importantly his eyes he forgives him, "But, I accept your apology." And he finds his lips tilting up in a little smile as the taller man instantly perks up happily at his acceptance.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you either. You're under a lot of stress." Lance tries to apologize, but Shiro stops him before he can get that far.

Shaking his head adamantly 'no' Shiro reaches over with his other hand to hold onto Lance's.

"That at  _no_  point makes it right. And you had every right to be pissed too," Shiro stares into his eyes intently and Lance feels like he's waiting for him to confirm that he understands. Shaking his head 'yes' Shiro goes on, "I didn't tell you something important that was about you. You've shared so much I should too."

Lance's eyes widen at that, "Don't push it you're —"

"I won't be," Shiro easily cuts in with a soft smile, "It won't be with you. I want you to know." He says earnestly.

Lance looks for any signs of tenseness or unease, but sees none.

"Alright." He agrees and Shiro smiles so bright at him that it eclipses the very sunset. 

Speaking about the sunset they turn back to enjoy it and with their first fight resolved Lance leans into Shiro's shoulder to watch the rest of it as he keeps holding Shiro's hand. Then out of no where a thought hits him as he looks down at their intertwined fingers.

"Hey, Shiro? What were you trying to tell me on the astral plane earlier?" Lance turns his head slightly to asks, thinking about that half form silhouette of him reaching for him and calling his name.

Shiro's brow furrows adorably as he looks down and asks, "What do you mean?"

"You were shouting and reaching out to me, but I couldn't hear you." 

But Shiro just looks more confused, "I don't know. Things went dark there for a second. But it's probably from Black having two pilots." Shiro posits as he turns back to the sunset.

"Maybe." Lance says, but he's not really feeling that answer.

He looks pass Shiro to Voltron's head and almost feels like Black is staring back, but differently. Almost like something else, something more, was watching too and he's not sure what to make of all of this.


	8. Castle Vlog (A'lanor & The Lions)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something isn't right and the only ones that might know is the Lions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome readers to the new story 'And I am the Knight in Shining Armor'!
> 
> Thank you again for loving this story and this series! Always feel free to leave comments I love talking to all of you!
> 
> So without farther ado let's find out if Lance finds out about Shiro.....

The wind was a bit brisker than Lance would have liked, but he can't control the weather. Though he can talk to giant mecha Lions and as the wind suddenly breaks Lance opens his eyes to see Red laying down in front of him. 

"Thanks Red." Lance smiles, but he just powers down, ignoring him.

"Silly Lion."

'Obnoxious Altean.'

"I didn't ask you to come out here, it was just highly suggested." Lance states again, though if he was being truthful he was steps away from out right begging for the smaller Lion to come out too.

Blue came easily, any reason to spend time with her Paladin. Lance hadn't a true idea of why he came out here to see the sunrise, but he knew he was up because of the restlessness from the night before and the feeling that something wasn't right. 

He could feel Black looking at him after the fight against the corrupted Oklari battlesuit. But when he tried to push on it later before evening meal an odd thing occurred. Something else try to push back faintly, but Black quickly overwhelmed it and closed themselves off completely. Lance tried at least three more time before trying to sleep, but nothing worked and now he was sitting here on the second base of the Olkari palace in his pajamas and with his two Lions trying to distract himself from the feeling of unimportance and failure at Black not trusting him.

Trying to ignore it he leans back on his elbows, since Red was blocking the horizon. But he couldn't complain since the wind was being blocked too so he draws his eyes up to watch the pastel pinks, blues, and purples of the dawn going to faint orange that was special to Olkarion's sky.

'A'lanor?'

Looking to his right Blue has lightened up again and Lance feels the spray of the ocean tickling at his mind and could see the waves curling over and crashing over each other. Lance knew that meant she wanted to go flying and who was he to say no.

"Flying? Yes please!" Lance squeals as he pops off the ground.

Red's metal creaks like a putout sigh and has Lance turning to him with a frown.

"I wasn't talking to you anyway." He turns to Red annoyed as Red turns his head away.

Before he turns into Keith and starts yelling at him Blue bends down and opens up.

"Thank you Blue." Lance laces his words with a saccharine touch.

'Whatever.' The right arm of Voltron grouses before getting up and walking back to the Castle.

They start with just flying over the city and out into the forest before Lance guides them up a diagonal climb over the Oklari's stratos-mountains and just as they crest over the top they see the swirling storms of the gas giant and the medium star it's orbiting gleam over the curvature of the planet. Lance lets the flight sticks go and pulls his legs up to sit cross-legged as he takes in the world below them slowly spins below them. The corona is spectacular as it shimmers over the ocean and Lance sighs at the scene.

"I missed this. I wish..... I wish we didn't need to switch. I mean I get that we're different, but did we have to?"

'Yes. You will always be my Paladin, but Allura needs me. She is strong and militant on her own. But with me she must learn to slow down and calm herself. You need to know your abilities and not doubt them or the decisions you make.'

"I guess that is a good answer." Lance mumbles as he slides his fingers gently over the side of the seat.

It does make sense and he had seen it in action with the team deferring to him as much as Allura and Shiro. And Allura has started to relax and not stress on every subject as well as doing what she knows is right instead of waiting. The change has been good, but as he thinks about this he thinks of Black's actions last night.

"Blue," Lance pauses as he tries to think of a nicer way to ask, but remembers his baby Blue will see right through it and asks, "Is something wrong with Black? They were acting weird yesterquintant."

Surprisingly, Blue is quiet as their bond changes into ripples again, which in any other situation fine, but now he knows something weird is going on. But before he can ask, Blue speaks up,

'You must trust Black. It's for you.' She says gently.

"Their secretiveness isn't filling me with optimism." He complains.

'It is important that you wait.' She replies and a rush of calming emotions like a waterfall rain down on him and consume him like a hug.

"Fine." He giggles a bit and the cascade of emotions slow, but stay their as they start to rotate the planet.

They stay a bit longer until a message from Coran pops up asking where he is and they are returning to the capital. Weirdly Red is waiting in front of the Castle and looks down after he exits to say gruffly,

'It's about your heart and their Paladin they're worry for.'

It takes a tick, but with Blue screaming 'Red!' and growling Lance knows what he's talking about. But before he can ask anything Red argues his point.

'Calm down. I didn't tell him and it will be fine.'

They stare each other down and Lance waits patiently with baited breath until Blue turns and flies to her platform in the Castle. Red gives him a nudge that basically means 'don't worry' before doing the same. But was it really when they both knew something was going on.

At that moment the elevator had open, Lance so focused on the Lions he didn't even notice, and out comes Shiro looking concern and filling Lance with more unease. What could Black be hiding that would affected both of them? As he lets Shiro guides him back to his room he resolved to ask the others to see if they weren't willing to be so tight jawed.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Lance asks after watch Hunk delete a line of code for the fourth time.

"Wrong. Nothing's wrong. Why would anything be wrong?" Hunk mutters through grit teeth and stabs at his keyboard again.

"You're glaring at your screen like it's done something to insult your mothers." Lance fills in with a touch of sass.

Hunk doesn't completely turn around from where he's sitting hunched over his laptop to give him a side eye and Lance returns it with a simple shrug. He turns back and bends over it more trying to render new battle simulations for the Lions. Lance looks up at Yellow, who's paw he's sitting on, and they both share a sigh.

"Hey! No sigh together at me! I'm just making sure that it is just right." Hunk stands up from his chair in a rush to point an accusing finger at both of them.

Lance peers down at his friend and tries to think of why he's so agitated.

_It not work-out. He did fine. Everyone liked lunch. Him and Pidge seemed happy in the hard drive they create for — Oh!_

"You want to go back don't you?" Lance asks as he slides down a claw.

Hunk looks confused for a tick before frightened and starts shaking his head no, but Lance just folds his arm and waits. It takes about another few ticks of rambling before Hunk deflates and tells him the reason behind wanting to leave.

"I – it's not like I don't want to be apart of the team, but I wish we didn't need to be in mortal danger all the time..... I want my moms and my sisters and my uncle and my cousins to know that I'm okay. That I'm not just some cover-up or missing child, but I'm alive.....But we're need here and it hurts to have a way, but —"

Lance, hearing enough, closes the distance and wraps Hunk in the tightest most loving hug he can knowing his friend just needs someone to vent to. Rubbing circles into his back Hunk embraces him tighter and sucks in a shakier breath.

"It will be okay soon enough. You'll be able to go back soon I know it." He whispers into Hunk's ear.

Shaking his head 'yes' he leans back and wipes his tears away, "Yeah, yeah I know. Thanks for that. I just got a wait a little longer," And looking away he says quietly, "Just want them to know _see_ that I'm okay."

And an idea hits him like meteor.

"Wait Hunk. That's it!" He preens at the idea.

"What is?"

Grabbing his shoulders he shakes them a bit as he says, "See!"

At Hunk's growing perplexed look Lance explains himself.

"Sam is taking back that hard drive of schematics you help make to help boost your planet's defenses in a like two movements, right?" At Hunk's slow nod he continues, "We could get you to make a video like the logs we did and have him give it to your family."

Lance doesn't have to wait long before a giant sunshine grin makes its way on Hunk's face. Pulling him in for a fierce hug and spinning him around.

"Lance you're amazing!" He says when he finally puts him down.

"I know, plus I can't let my favorite Human down, can I?"

"As I've said before I'm sure that title belongs to someone else." He laughs, but gives Lance a hug before he could him him in his shoulder.

"Ignoring you because I love you." Lance smile at the bigger teen.

Hunk wants to do the video in the lounge and quickly gathers his stuff and makes a run for the elevator already talking out loud to himself about what he can tell his family and how he'll build something similar to the hard drive so Sam can take it back.

_So sweet._

Lance thinks and he feels the warmth of a sun on the back of his neck and looks up at a glowing Yellow who agrees with him. 

"You really got the kindest Paladin ever didn't you Yellow?" She sits up a bit straighter at that and Lance can't help but laugh, "How have you been? You've been such a good girl for Hunk." He ask as he rubs the massive paw in front of him.

A chirp like noise is made meaning she was fine and happy only for a questioning a warm breeze passed between them.

"Yes me and Shiro are fine, thank you for asking. He got me a locket that plays the first song we ever danced to."

Her power source purrs in delight and burns like hot sand.

"You just love all the cuddliness don't you? You got to keep pushing Hunk at Shay and you never know, you could have the cuteness too. Just like watching the sunrise again." Lance says in a hush whisper as he smiles at the idea.

Yellow agrees as she rumbles at the idea. And talking about significant others Lance looks up at the strongest Lion and hopes her compassionate nature will work in his favor.

"So a lot happens in the past two quintants.....did you notice anything weird?"

Yellow's head ducks and she looks at him curiously. They hold this staring contest for a brief moment before she starts to speak. But she barely says a word before a world rattling roar stops and shocks the both of them. Yellow leans up and joins Lance at looking to the north wall. She lets loose a noise that sound like a chuff only to be roared at again. She steps back from his touch disappointed and her shield forms around her.

"Really! This is just being a bit controlling don't you think!?" Lance yells across the hanger at the wall, even though he knows Black can't hear him and can only feel his discontentment.

Behind him metal whines and he walks up to the shield and rubs circles into like he did for her Paladin earlier.

"I'm not mad at you sweetie. You're fine. Someone else is being an Teher's ass!" He screams at the wall. 

Telling Yellow good bye Lance stomps off to the archives to grab a recorder and make his way to the lounge.

* * *

"A video?" Matt asks.

"Yeah. I mean I know your father can tell your mother you're safe,but I think seeing it instead would be better," Lance tells them, "You and Matt can do one together or separate. I already got one for Hunk and I'm going to get Shiro's next."

"That's not a bad idea." Pidge says as she shares a glance with Matt and have a silence conversation that Lance and Allura usually have. 

He's lucky again that the Holts are just coming back from a short mission and needed to go get change into less dirty outfits to prove to their mother that they were fine. Alone in Pidge's hanger Lance turns smoothly to Green and beams at her. She was a lot more technically so he's really going to need to bring a good case for her to be on his side.

"Green." He calls out, extending the 'e' in a cutesy sort of way.

'No.' 

And she stands up to turn her back to him.

"Don't do that! I'm asking you a question. Green!"

'The likelihood that anything good will happen if I tell you anything before Black deems it the right time will be lower than a negative imaginary number.' She answers back in a clipped tone.

"You don't know that."

Turning her head to look at him her metal creaks like a sharp chuckle.

'So if I told Pidge about how you programmed all her systems to save and turn off at ten that would turn out well?'

Lance's eyes widen as he looks up at the smaller Lion in disbelief, "You wouldn't dare."

Pidge was getting crafty in how she would ignore going to sleep at a reasonable time. And after too many 'grumpy morning Pidges' Lance found if she couldn't work on her stuff than she would go to sleep. It took a movement before that happened, but she better off for it.

Green says nothing, but the ticklish feeling of grass scratching his knees tell him she not joking.

"You are so mean." He finally settles on and feels more agitated when he can her smugness roll off of her, "It's for her. She needs to sleep she's not a machine, why aren't you on my side!"

'It's for Shiro's safety too so wait until Black says so.' She reiterates.

And puts Lance more on edge. What is so wrong with Shiro that all the Lions are concerned and keeping secrets. It is unbearable.

"You have to tell me now. It's important. It's about Shiro and I love Shiro. Please." Lance whines and starts walking around to face her.

But he is stopped when her tail comes to rest gently in front of him and cutting him off from his destination.

'So you say.'

And now Lance is just done.

When the Holts get back they find him still yelling at Green, careful trapped under her front left paw, about how secrets are damaging and no one should have them. Pidge does nothing to help the situation by walking up to the paw and patting it gently,

"Good girl." She says smirking in Lance's enraged face.

Frowning at them he turns to look at Matt for help – support from another brother with a crazy sister – and all he gets a shy smile and a shrug for his troubles.

Huffing in dismay he looks to the two, "You two are too smug and tricky for your own good."

"Thanks."

'Thank you Prince.'

_Unbelievable._

* * *

"I don't know Thatchia. We've looked almost everywhere. This is probably because of our late night snacking. If we didn't do this Coran and Hunk wouldn't have hid them."

"Merww."

"Nuh-uh. Don't act like like you don't like it when you wake up and you're sudden in the kitchen. This is your third favorite spot, you can't be that cute with me."

"....Nyurr." And Thatchia nuzzles in and Shiro sighs completely defeated only two ticks in.

"Fine. You are that cute."

"Shiro?"

The man in question turns around quickly, right hand flying up to steady the kittekirri nestled in his hair on top of his head. Thatchia blinks innocently down at him before she shakes her little ears in excitement and recognition at seeing Lance. Shiro looks very shocked with his lips folded in making his cheeks look slightly bigger and his eyes are wide making him look super adorable. Lance has to purse his own lips together as he tries not to laugh at the sweet situation. 

"She...uh...like to be tall?" Shiro asks more of a question than telling him a fact.

"I can see that." Lance says genially as he walks over to the two snack thieves and reaches up for an almost vibrating fluff ball.

With Thacthia in hand, Lance strokes her fur before looking up at a pleasantly smiling Shiro.

"How are you feeling today?"

"...Better." Shiro answers. 

Lance gives him a small grin and focuses his attention on Thatchia. If Shiro didn't say anything in the next ten ticks he would leave it be, but it was good for Shiro to express what he was feeling to the best of his ability instead of letting it fester.

"Honestly," And Lance looks up with a soft look, not judging him at all, "Honestly I'm not really feeling anything at present. I'm just coasting, but its a good moment."

"And that's okay. So what can I help you look for?"

The two food bandits were looking for the food straws that tasted like and Pidge quotes 'cool ranch doritos,' – whatever that was – and follows it with how she will fight the next person that eats them. Obviously Shiro is much braver than them all. They're also looking for Thatchia's treats which are little biscuits with a harden frosted layer, which was hidden because Shiro spoils his girl too much and Coran is afraid Thatchia will get fat, but with the running around she does Lance thinks it's impossible. They sit at the island mostly in quiet as Shiro reads through a datapad he brought, pets Thatchia, and snacks on his stolen treats. Lance enjoys the silence as he feeds Thatchia some of her treats in broken up halves. Lance sees he isn't as tense as usually quite the opposite, which is great, but Lance is still worried about what every Lion has been suggesting along with Black's continued silence.

"Are you free later?"

Shiro's hand stops halfway to his mouth as he looks up and his face scowls in disappointment.

"No. I promise to talk to some leaders from the Sesano quadrant. Why?"

"I was going to offered yoga later with me and Pidge."

_And to just keep an eye on you._

Shiro's lips twisted into a doubtful smirk, "I don't think it's safe to do yoga with you."

"I'll be good." Lance promises with a innocent smile, batting his eyes at him.

That gets a true small smile from Shiro as he shakes his head, "And that's how I know you'll be bad. If I could go that is."

Standing up and leaning across the island  Shiro places a delicate kiss to his cheek then his lips only to be interrupted by the small taps of Thatchia bouncing on the counter in between them.

"I didn't forget you." Shiro says as he scratches behind her ears and places a quick kiss there to. 

She then turns to him and Lance laughs as he scratches under her chin and then nuzzles her nose.

"You are just too sweet. Chulatt better watch out, you might be the cutest now." Lance praises her and lays a treat out for her that she quickly scurries over it to eat it.

Despite how cute she is the knowledge of knowing her mouth is on her belly is still odd.

"I think my mom would spoil her just like you do." Shiro speaks up and Lance turns his attention to see he was watching the interaction with his head resting on folded hand and fond eyes.

"And you don't?" Lance asks archly with a grin.

"I'll admit to nothing." Shiro smirks back.

If at any time Lance was second guessing getting the kittekirri – which he never did – this moment was not one of them.

"That's actually what I came to talk to you about." Lance changes the subject after staring into Shiro's stormy eyes a little longer.

"About what?"

"Your family."

Shiro sits back straight at that, "My... family?"

"Y-yes. Sam is taking back that hard drive with the schematics of the Castle of Lions and some other weapons and defenses and well ... well Hunk was feeling bad that he couldn't tell his family he was okay so I suggested he make a log like we did in the archives. And I got Pidge and Matt to make ones too. So I thought I'd get you on a recording too for Sam to take back." 

"Oh."

Lance had looked away the moment he couldn't stop explaining his idea. The confused face had made Lance stutter, but looking back at him after he whispered Lance sees a strange complex look that he couldn't possibly read as Shiro's brow creased more and his lips thinned.

"Oh?" Lance ventures.

"I guess it just I thought I'd see them to tell them I was still alive." Shiro says lowly as he looks to his pet who had sensed the uncomfortable waves coming off Shiro and walked over to promptly sit at the edge of the counter and purr against his chest.

Shiro's lips twitch a bit and he leans onto the island to be closer to the calming vibrations. As Lance watches this he feels like a complete idiot. Shiro had eventually told him he was captured and held by the Galra for a year before he landed on Earth only for him to bring him back into space. They had found out that everyone assumed he had crashed the shuttle and died, meaning his family – if they got this recording – would be in for the shock of their lives. Not only did he make him think about his family in an unhappy way, but he also ruined his okay mood he was in.

"But we don't know how long that we could be here." Shiro finally whispers into the silence of the kitchen.

"If its —"

"No!" Shiro quickly cuts off him off, "I want to do it. I want them to know that I'm okay. Even if I can't be the one to truly tell them."

Lance walks around and steps closer, when Shiro briefly nods his head and Lance drapes himself over his boyfriend's back and hugs him from behind. Leaning a bit more over his right shoulder he presses a quick kiss to his cheek.

"If you're sure," And Shiro nods again with less hesitation this time so Lance leans back and walks to the other side again pulling out the small holo recorder, "Alright." 

As he speaks Lance can feel the love behind each word and the smile on his face does reach his eyes most of the time as he speaks and Lance thinks Shiro's going to be okay, a bit rough around the edges for maybe the rest of the quintant, but okay. Maybe he can wait until Black is ready to tell him what's going on.

A quintant of waiting at max.

* * *

_"Allura they're gone!" Lance yells over their comms as he stares at the empty bay of the Black Paladin.  
_

_"Who?"_

_"Black! I was trying to connect with all the Lions and Black was missing and when I went checked they weren't in the Castle and neither are Shiro and Lotor! I checked with the Castle!" Lance replies as he quickly teleports to his bay._

_"They must of gone to the Kral Zera." He hears Pidge in the background with Allura._

_"We have to follow them. I'll open a portal to Feyiv." She tells him._

_Then the alarm starts to go off and Allura barely concealed angery tone comes over the speakers, "Paladins to your Lions immediately! This is not a drill!"_

The moment that Lance lands Red he is fuming until he finds Shiro and Allura talking to Lotor in Shiro's office. Not even giving anyone a chance to speak Lance stomps up to Shiro and drags the other Paladin away from a surprised and confused Lotor and an indifferent Allura. And Shiro at least knows he's in trouble this time as he says nothing and tries to keep up. They finally make it to Shiro's room and Lance quickly scans the room and sees Thatchia is out and about. Turning around he locks the door and the moment the door clicks Lance is spinning around to glare at Shiro.

"What happened to talking this out as a team?!" He says in a harsh whisper.

Shiro sighs sadly before trying to explain, "We did and you were all against it when we did. This was the best course of action. Am I happy we had to place someone else on the Galra throne? No. But logistically it will be less of a worry now that the empire is calm. We'll be able to take out only the warlords that continue to attack other planets."

Lance frowns more because it does make sense, but it still doesn't feel right. This isn't something Shiro would usually do.

"It makes sense... but Shiro, I don't trust him."

Shiro takes a wide step and closes the distance between them and takes Lance's hands in his gently, "Then trust me," He ask with conviction.

"I will always do what is in the best interests of others."

"Even if it get you hurt," Lance mutters, "and I don't want you —"

"I won't. I won't, I have too much to be happy about again. I wouldn't risk it," He tells him softly as he lets go of his hand to lift his chin so Lance would look up at him, "So when we have to make a deal with the devil know that I'm always on the side of the angels."

"Hmph I don't know what that means, but I think I get it. And I do trust you." Lance says truthfully before dropping his head onto Shiro's chest which he turn into a hug that Lance happily returns.

"Thank you for listening."

"You're welcome."

They were both pretty exhausted from their impromptu fight against several Galra cruisers and ended up falling asleep on Shiro's bed. Or at least Shiro did – Lance had dozed a bit because of his boyfriend's body heat, but he was very awake and very pissed with a certain Lion. Carefully scooting away from Shiro he silently walks to the door and unlocks, freezing at that the unlocking mechanism. But when Shiro doesn't even stir he walks out quickly before teleporting to Black's bay.

"You are hiding something from me! I felt you blocking me during the Kral Zera. And you have the other Lions in on it too. I want to know what it is and why it could hurt Shiro, because at this rate he'll do that himself with his decisions."

'You may not be ready.' They say back.

Lance glares at them, tired of these cryptic answers or silent treatment moments they had been going for almost the past year.

"It's a risk I'm willing to take." And he's glad that Black agrees and bends forward to allow him in.

He sits back in the chair and lets it slide up as the lights begin to light up. Sighing Lance leans back, pressing at Black's bond, and gripping at his legs as the initial feeling is falling before it gradually slows to feeling like he's sinking and then just floating like he's in mediation. The presence of Black then begins to compact and the pressure presses down everywhere, he can even feel it on his bones and his skull. And as excruciatingly long as that feels it's gone the next tick.

As he opens his eyes again they stare up into the astral abyss of navy, doted with stars and nebulae that painted a beautiful abstract picture of the universe. But Lance doesn't have time to be wowed by Black's mind, he needs to find out why they been so elusive they past twelve phoebs. He looks around and see nothing but flashing stars, comets, and event horizons. He's about to yell out to at Black for bringing him here if there was nothing to tell, but than he feels it. It feels like something just swept into his space, which with the endless plane should be impossible, but it's still there. And now it's nudging him to turn around and from Black's rumbling Lance is sure it's the answer he seeks, but nothing prepares him for what — who he sees. 

"Shiro?"

"Lance." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (◯Δ◯∥) Dun-dun-duuuuunnn!!!!!


	9. Secrets of yours, secrets of mine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its finally happened again. History repeats itself as Altean and Galra work together. Or so it seems, but only Lance knows the truth and it makes him sick to his stomach.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let the Canon Divergence commence!  
> It will start out small, but grow into something of its own.

"Thank you for coming, friends."

Shiro scans the hall and is taken aback by the sentries lined up at attention, it was disconcerting not having them shoot at them. The hall itself wasn't all that memorable itself, except that even with the decent lighting it somehow still seemed very grime here. He also noticed at least four possible exits as well as they walk closer to Lotor.

Just because he was in favor of this does not mean he's not on his toes in what is still somewhat enemy territory.

"I have prepared a new imperial banner to herald our alliance. This is the same symbol that flew over our fathers when they worked together as the original Paladins of Voltron. I hope that we can return the universe to that golden age." Lotor tells them with a perfect congenital smile.

Subtly looking to his left he watches as Allura and Lance don't look at all impressed, which is what they wanted. They can't look too codependent on this alliance.

"Since I ascended to the throne, the Galra Empire has been torn apart. A sizeable portion has sworn its allegiance to me. However, massive factions remain in revolt."

"Uh, okay, the Galra aren't exactly known to turn the other cheek." Hunk voices with a serious tone.

"They're more likely to swing the other fist." Lance adds in a similar manner.

"How do you get an empire that's only known violence for thousands of years to put down their weapons?" Shiro asks, because after defeating the Alteans Zarkon should have been satisfied, though 'should' was the operative word. 

"By providing them with the very thing they're fighting for. Quintessence. Unlimited amounts of it," He eleborates as he walks closer to the group stopping mere inches from the prince and princess, "Allura. A'lanor. You are the keys to getting it."

He smiles down at them with such hope that it make Shiro feel simultaneously good about this tentative alliance while also feeling like this would all spectacularly explode in their faces. He only thinks this because of not only Lotor's reaction, but of Allura and Lance's too. Lance looks very shocked, his mouth just barely open as if he has a question on the tip of his tongue, but can't ask it. Allura look pleasantly content as she smiles back at Lotor, it growing when he smiles back at her. Allura seems completely caught and Lance looked like he was too as Shiro had seen him actually have short, if not, terse conversations with Lotor in the pass two weeks.

Turning to him, he smiles an award winning grin at him, "I'm sure you'll be interested in inspecting every aspect of the Galra headquarters."

Shiro knows his eyes widened some millimeters in surprise at the clear trusts he was being given.

"I'd like to cross-reference our star charts with current Galra troop locations." He says somewhat unsure, wondering if the Galra prince was willing to give such full access.

"Consider it done." Lotor says promptly.

"You want to sync our intelligence to the Galra headquarters? Oh, I never thought I'd see the quiznaking quintant." Coran comments and Shiro can definitely agree.

"Sentry, take them to the record room. You will find everything you need there." Shiro follows the sentry with Coran behind, but still listens in to the rest of the conversation his team is having.

He hears some shuffling before Lotor says with a soft chuckle, "And I have not forgotten about your friends A'lanor. I'm leaving them a personal escort that will take them wherever you'd like to go."

"So we're free to roam around Galra HQ?" Hunk questions.

"Precisely. Come, Princess. Prince. There is much work to be done."

"Have fun guys." Lance calls out to them.

"What is fun?" The sentry's drool voice echoes in the wide room.

"You wouldn't know. You're just a robot. You can't have fun." Hunk tells it.

"Unless I reprogram it. And then you'll find out." Pidge says deviously.

Hunk gasps out loud, which is followed by a loud noise of clatter, "Take us to the sentry repair center!"

Shiro shakes his head at Hunk and Pidge's excitement. He hopes that Hunk will be able to control any wild thoughts the smaller genius would have, but remembers that Hunk is also prone to wild ideas too. He gets to the door before realizing he was missing someone. Turning around to call out for Coran he himself goes quiet. He was more lenient about their situation, but that didn't mean he wasn't wary about both royals going off with Lotor alone. He could see Coran walking backwards and watching them diligently as the three of them ascended the stairs together, each sibling with an arm locked around Lotor's. But something didn't start to quell in Shiro's stomach until he sees Lotor smile at Lance and he gives a grin back. He really shouldn't feel like this because he knows Lance, but Lotor is still an unknown variable.

_Don't get jealous. We each have a mission. Focus._

Shaking his head he pull Coran to the side so he wouldn't hit the wall next to the door and continues to the record room.

 

* * *

* * *

"Shiro?" Lance questions, confusion marring his voice and hiding the expanding dread within his chest.

This Shiro smiles softly, the edges so steeped in anguish that Lance feels his breathe catch in his throat. 

"Lance." He says and his voice is filled with such joy as it seems to echo in the open space.

"What – How – I don't understand? How are you here? Did you come in after – you – you were asleep..." Lance asks as well as he could with his thoughts and words jumbling together. 

Shiro starts to grimace and looks away, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Lance asks dumbfounded.

He watches as Shiro closes his eyes tightly before turning back to him and saying something Lance will be haunted by forever.

"I am just the essence of me. Lance, I died."

The fissures he had put back together, that  _they_  put back together, it couldn't — 

"No. No. No you didn't. You're on the ship right now. You made a video for your family. You're alseep in your bed. You, you..." Lance tells him brokenly as he tries to tell himself the same thing despite Black saying the contrary.

How could this – this entity be the real Takashi Shirogane. Shiro. His Starlight. 

Shaking his head, Lance starts to take measured steps back from the other trying to keep calm and pull himself out of the astral plane. But Black won't allow it. He wants to run away as this Shiro's face falls into a tormented frown as he reaches out for him. So reminiscent of the dreams. Of the battle only three quintants earlier. Just so raw with pain.

"Lance."

"No-no-no-no!"

No. It's too much. No. It's not right. No. It's not possible.

He doesn't even realize how he's shaking and pulling at his hair as he tries to work through this impossibility when cold hands touch his wrists. His head snaps up in shock as he tries to jump back, but Shiro holds his wrists, no tightly, which would allow him to get away is he wanted. But he just brings his hands down to his sides as he gazes down at him pleadingly.

"It's not me Lance. _"_ He says again with more conviction. 

And Lance didn't want to admit it, but underneath the cool touch the warmth that he always felt when he stood near or was lucky enough to hug Shiro felt the same. And the depths of his eyes were telling him how true his statement really was, even if he didn't believe it, he couldn't denied how whole and right it felt.

"Shiro?" He whispers as he reaches up to carefully cup his cheek. 

Shiro's eyes flutter shut as his face relaxes and leans into his right hand. And that's when Lance notices this Shiro still has his undercut like he did when they lost him. When Lance drags his eyes back to Shiro's his are open wide, filled with understanding, misery, and love. He only nods his head with a relieved smile, hands settling on Lance's hips as Lance pulls him into a fierce hug and his tears start to spill over. They stand there for what feels like ages, but could easily be mere ticks. As he leans back Shiro tightens his grip on his back and his right hip and Lance stops. Shiro just told him he was essence, but even essence could get lonely and his reaction to him simply touching him spoke volumes. Keeping his arms around him Lance only moves his head back to ask,

"How did this happen? Who is that?"

"They're a clone." 

Even if the answer seemed obvious, hearing it was still on the ridiculous side of possibility. Even a shapeshifter seemed more plausible.

"What?"

Even Shiro looks like he couldn't believe it himself, "Whenever they fly Black I get snippets of their memories. Some of the first were bits of his escape. Something called Kuron. There were others. I think. Their memories get hazy after that."

"I can't believe this. It it seems so unreal." 

"That's one way of putting it."

Bringing his hand up to cup the side of his face Lance stares up at his weary expression before leaning in to close the distance, but Shiro get to him first. It feels the same and new all at the same time and Lance doesn't want it to stop. A trembling hand cups the back of Lance's head and tilts it up gently, deepening the kiss. Lance enthusiastically obliges as he licks into Shiro's mouth with wild abandon and is pulled in closer until it feels like their bodies have melted together.

Even when they stop their heavy making-out they keep going back for more long  drawn out ones or short sweet pecks at wherever skin they could reach.

"I wish I knew," He says kissing just to the side of Shiro's lips, "To look sooner."

"You did. I just didn't tell you." And Shiro reaches up to gently caress his face and kiss the top of his forehead just like —

"The dreams!" Lance cries out as he looks up at Shiro.

Ducking his head away he answers meekly, "That was my own selfishness. The first time it happened it was an accident because I – I wasn't dealing with not having a - well - corporeal body. Black kinda lead me to you and after that I couldn't stay away. You were like the brightest point in the universe. I couldn't stop myself. The next times were when I was too weak and had to see you – even when it caused you pain. I didn't have anything else here but you." Shiro explains, peering down at him, his whole expression desperately asking for forgiveness.

Shaking his head, Lance whispers, "You did nothing wrong. I looked forward to them when I went to sleep. I wanted to see you too, even if I thought it was a figment of my imagination. I wanted to see  _you_  Shiro."

Wiping away his tears with a reassuring smile Lance leans up again to kiss him sweetly – letting him know that he was fine with what Shiro did.

"Your words kept me going. Don't be sorry." Lance tells him lovingly, kissing the new tears away.

Shiro crumples at that and Lance lets himself fall too. Shiro curls into him, wrapping his arms around his waist and pressing his wet face into his stomach. But Lance can't really feel the wetness. His stomach feels only lightly damp and that's when he realizes that Shiro isn't breathing. He's just existing. Clenching his fists and biting at the inside of his cheeks Lance silently rages at the injustices Shiro has been dragged into time and time again. But he can't get anger now, he has to be here for Shiro in anyway he can. Tilting his head up to the sky he watches a star go supernova only for it to begin condense into a new system.

"How did Black know where to look?"

It takes Shiro a couple doboshes to answer, but Lance waits patiently.

".....They said something about the presence being the same. But different, especially when they were remembering the team. I can't really explain it just that it felt the same emotions I did when they thought about all of you."

"Do you know anything else?"

"I know that there were Galra and some Druids there."

"That's it!" Lance cries out, jostling Shiro.

"What is?" Shiro turns to his side so he can see him easier, but does not let go of his hold around his chest.

"What Black felt. How the presence was similar," Lance grins down at Shiro with hope, "It was because of Altean magic. The witch, Haggar, is an Altean. Allura saw when she fought her. If the Druids are involved —"

"She's the mastermind."

 _Then I might be able to do something._  

"I'm still sorry I didn't notice. It's just the dreams and then you came back and well you're the first person I cared about that stayed alive." Lance says with morose humor at what was his bizarre love life.

"It's not your fault. It thinks its me." Shiro replies softly and it has Lance seeing what Shiro is seeing and feels horrible for putting him in this situation. 

"But I should've known. I – I _should_ have known," Lance tries to express, "We've been ... been out. We've started —"

"Dating. I know," Shiro fills in as he sits up, "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself."

Looking up questioningly at the earnest answer, Shiro looks back with a faint grimace, but no disappointment, "Like I said, you're the brightest point. And you are to them too. The first thing I get to see when they step in to pilot is you."

That has to be torture seeing someone you care about completely out of reach and Lance can only say,

"I'm so so sorry."

"How could you know?"

"Because I – because I – I lo—"

Shiro leans away violently, a despondent frown clear on his face, "Don't! Don't say it." He whispers.

Lance jumps back too and then it hits him. To Shiro he was essentially cheating – with himself – but still who would want to be with a cheater. 

"Of course." Lance says lowly as he turns away to stand, but is quite unceremoniously pulled back and into a firm chest.

Shiro leans over completely enveloping Lance, "No you don't Lance," Shiro tells him, "I don't want to hear it in here. I want to here you say it out there."

"But the memories, the date, gifts, everything was with —"

"I know. And it doesn't change a thing. I would've done the same and I will."

A wet gasp escapes his throat as Lance reaches up to grip onto Shiro's arms.

"I will get you out." Lance promises fiercely as he turns in his hold, squeezing him back with all his might.

And that just what he does when he finally leaves Black — only fifteen doboshes elapsing since then. Getting back to Shiro's room he light taps the clone Shiro on his shoulder and tells him he's leaving to talk to Allura. With a sleepy kiss to his cheek Lance watches both parts happy and distressed by what he knows and how this Shiro did nothing wrong and still loved him. Quickly pushing existential questions away he rushes for the archives where he reads over his and his Father's notes about alchemy until he finds something that he's sure will work, but will be like six types of risky — all of that risk on Shiro. But it was a chance and he had to take it.

* * *

It's six more quintants before Lance can get back to Shiro without the other Shiro knowing. The first thing they agree on within seconds – after a welcome back make-out session – was that this was something to keep hidden from the others.

For now.

Shiro didn't want to, but he thought it was best because he didn't want to alarm or distract anyone from the alliance they just made, which he hoped they could use to get a upper hand before the inevitably betrayal happens. They would need to work independently and make sure no one was the wiser.

Firstly, start was the clone.

Lance had figured that he could easily transfer Shiro's escence into the clone – who Lance had started calling Kuro in his head – because he was like a conduit and could hold and transfer energy. And according to Black Kuro was missing for a lack of better words, a soul, and thus neutral to Shiro's essence, which was a positive charge. It would take a lot of transfers in small increments to be safe, but Lance is sure he can do it.

With that covered they needed to figure out what to do about the other clone that Kuro had seen because it would be unlikely that Haggar didn't just engineer one. But Shiro or Black didn't know where it was.

Lance luckily saw the perfect opporuinty the two quintants before he came back when Kuro wasn't feeling well. Another headache was plaguing him and he was trying to work through it, but was failing. Lance takes it upon himself to be the best boyfriend, regardless of the weirdness, and pulls him onto the couch in his office to give him a head massage. Gently coaching the memories to the surface as he rubs out the tension in his temples and his neck Lance finds out where it is. Sadly that where was a Galra cruiser and it would have to been moved by now. It took Lance using Matt and Pidge's algorithm for Galra movements and almost the whole quintant to find where only one Galra cruiser with Haggar's operational code number was being irregular. It went through multiple hyperjumps to other places before straying in the middle of a normal run to detour to a planetoid in the Thizonian system. Deeming that as the new cloning sight they moved to the next part of their plan.

Secondly, was needing a way to dispatch the other clones.

It's not a easy discussion, but they came to the conclusion that the ones left would need to be taken care of so Haggar couldn't use another. And not only that they needed to destroy the operation from the inside out as well. With the team on the sidelines Lance mentions Matt being they're next best bet. He code just as good as Pidge. So in a risk Lance invites Matt to the Castle with the incentive of looking over the Black Lion. Leading him in, Lance tells Matt to sit in the chair as the light come on at 50%. That's when Matt's questions stop suddenly and when Lance turns around he sees Matt with a very shocked face as he looks to him. It takes Lance a tick, but than he realize how he and Matt are alone in a dimly lit space and a smirk slithers onto his face as he leans back against one of the consoles,

"See anything you like Matt?" Lance asks with a playful smile.

You aren't like a polygamy society, right?" Matt laughs nervously, but when Lance doesn't answer his face falls more.

Lance just smirk and pushes off the console in a risqué way and saunters around the back of the chair, hips swinging slightly.

"Are you? Because I mean you're – you're great, but me and Shiro are just —"

And Lance leans over the back of the chair Matt sucks in a sharp breathe as he slides his hands down his chest, spreading his fingers out as he slides his hands down in what he knows is sensual. Matt looks over in a frightened gobsmack manner. But between one blink and the next Matt is falling out from under him and landing on the dark ground of Black's astral plane.

"Lance." Shiro calls out in a tired manner, arms crossed and eyebrow raised in disbelief.

"I was only playing around. I thought his jaw was going to unhinge."

"I'm sure he would have explode. I've never seen someone's face so red." He replies blandly, "You shouldn't scare people like that."

Lance waves the rebuke away, "So am I not getting my hello kiss?" He asks sweetly.

"Hmm," And Lance just bats his eyes innocently making Shiro roll his eyes before looking to him, "I don't condone this."

"I know." And Shiro leans down to sweetly peck his lips.

Turning away from each other they look to a confused Holt.

"So Matt, we kind of need your help."

"I can see that."

They explain what they can and as they do Matt's face becomes more and more grim. Before they can even ask for his help Matt raises his hand to stop them.

"What do you need me to do?" He asks with a determined look and a sharp smile.

* * *

Pushing forward with all his strength Lance plunges the sword into his opponent's stomach before sliding it out and turning to the three left. There was one Galra in medical gear with an electrical prod and two Druids behind him. 

When Matt and he first entered the facility they ran into no one, but Matt disabled all the alarms and protective measures before they went any further. They made it to the wide main control room with almost zero problems, passing the large amount of clones in cylinders, making them pause every so often to stare back. As Matt got to work Lance went back up to check on how empty this seemingly abandoned lab was. He apparently does his job well, because only making it up two levels and he runs into two Galra and two Druids. He tries to create his regular blaster, but like before the anger, the rage, of the situation overtakes him and soon he has a sword. Blocking shots with his shield and cutting through the flimsy blaster, Lance makes the killing blow.

Ducking around the corner, Lance waits till he sees the shadows getting closer before teleport back around the corner to swipe down at the Druid in the back, it implodes into a small orb of light, defeated. The next one doesn't go down easily as Lance has lost the element of surprise. Soon he's blocking energy blasts with the sword and directing it back, actually knocking the Galra behind them back into the wall. Deciding to play the magic game properly Lance teleports behind the Druid only for them to disappear as well, trying to get him in the back. But all they succeeded in doing was knocking his sword from his hand with a hard hit. Losing his grip on the sword Lance fights back with a battle cry and blue blazing hands. Blue and purple fill the hallway as each one tries to better the other. But the Druid gets a lucky shot, throwing Lance back, but back near the broadsword. Grabbing hold he throws it out at the Druid as they teleport again, but Lance turns around fast enough and fires a blast of pure Altean magic at them watching as they disintegrate before his eyes. 

Breathing heavily, he quickly turns around to fetch his sword in the ceiling above if not for the sweltering and frigid shock of electricity running up his spine. Falling under the pain Lance barely turns around before he's stabbed with the electrical prod again. Getting him again his muscles spasms and he curls in on himself from the pain. But it leaves his right arm free and when the Galra reaches high above his head, to strike him again, Lance strikes first. The blast cuts through his abdomen, but he doesn't disappear like the Druids, no he falls in a heap with the prod dropping gracelessly from his hands.

Rolling over Lance crawls to his sword as he tries to breathe through the lingering pain and catch his breath. He finally gets on his unsteady knees and reaches up to get his sword and stores the bayard away. Turning back down the hall he steps around the carnage he's caused with wobbly steps as best he could so he could go back to check on Matt. As he does he makes a point to be as quiet and quick as possible. He hates killing, even when fighting out in space, but it's the up close mission that happen that he hates the most. Usually he's guaranteed a cuddle up with Hunk, who doesn't deal well with it either, and together they can keep each other company as they try to ignore the sick sinking feeling they have. But this mission Lance would be on his own.

Lance makes it past six other personnel before getting to Matt, but when he does a Galra solider comes out from another door closer to the panel. And then another door slides open and Lance turns to it to see another solider coming down the hall towards him.

_There are two targets. Matt is in danger. Matt doesn't have a weapon. He needs two weapons._

The sound of laser shots go off, a sharp high pitch whine, frightening and confusing him as he jumps back, startled again by feeling an extra small weight in his left hand.

Looking to the two Galra soldiers he is sicken and relieved to see both of them slumped on the ground and Matt looking over just as surprised as he feels and looking at him. Following his gaze down he sees two Altean short blasters in his grip before they reform into the bayard and sits harmlessly in his left hand. Lance can only stare in shock as he turn it over under a critical eye. Trying again he thinks – feels – that he needs two weapons again and before his eyes the Bayard glows and splits in half making the short blasters again.

_Just like the sword._

Lance brought out of his trance of admirating his bayard by a high pitch beep that breaks the quietness of the station.

"Oh great. Okay everything on this system pertaining to Operation Kuron is cleaned." Matt tells him.

"This system?" Lance asks, already the feeling of victory slipping from his mind.

"Yeah," Matt answers in a resigned tone, "It's possible they're could be other backup files elsewhere, but I wouldn't be able to —"

"Leave it to me. Just make sure its untraceable."

"You got it Prince."

Together the run back to Red and fly to where Red has pin-pointed as the best place to fire on the structure to destroy anything that was ever there. But as Lance lines up the shot he can only sit there, completely immobilized, unable to pull the trigger for this.

On them.

He couldn't.

"Isn't there a way we could save them? I mean I just don't – but what else would they do – it's not fair." Lance stutters over his words with dread filling him at the insidious action he was about to take.

"If there is one thing I've learned in this war is that you can't save everyone. Even if you want to." Matt tells him quietly.

"I know. I know better than most I – I just wanted this time to be different."

"Yeah," Matt says solemnly as he places a hand in his shoulder in comfort, "Yeah I wish it was too."

In that instant Red takes the decision out of his hands as he fires his fire breath into the power room causing a change reaction explosion right in front of them. Lance is up from his seat in an instant and hunched over the toilet in the small lavatory as he throws up continuously into the bowl. Even though the taste in his mouth compares to nothing he is feeling in his heart. When there's nothing left Lance rest his cheek against the seat and sees Matt sitting just outside looking queasy as well too, but holding it down better than him.

"I hate this. So so much." He rasps with a sore throat.

Matt nods his head before getting up and wandering off. Lance eventually stands and cleans off his face leaving no vomit or tears. He even finds some toothpaste Keith left in the tiny mirror cabinets and gurgles that. But even looking cleaned up and with fresh breathe Lance still feels like he's at the bottom of a trash chute with all the other flith of the universe.

'You did the right thing.'

"Sure. But I doubt I'll ever believe it." Lance tells his Lion. Patting the door on his way out he looks back at his poor reflection again before sighing, "Red take us back."

With an answering rumble, Red rockets off the sad and dusty planetoid and to a Teludav portal that Lance manages to call up. They get back and land on Olkarion only to be meet by a pissed off sister and the disappointed stance of his boyfriend's body. But just seeing any form of him has Lance's rib cage compacting into his organs and makes him feel sick all over again. Allura opens her mouth ready to lay into him for leaving without telling anyone where, but Matt just rushes forward with meaningful strides and pulls Kuro into a tight hug.

"Shiro you are my _best_ friend. I'm going to always try and protect you."

Kuro looks shocked before returning the hug and sentiment. The moment Matt leaves and Kuro looks to him with concern and love sends Lance stumbling down Red's jaw and falling into a hug of a living breathing Shiro. And at this point they're both Lance's and he loves them both. Using the hug as a distraction he teleports them to his darken room in an instant.

"Lance what are —" He starts, but Lance shakes his head no.

He can't explain what happened. If Kuro even asks Lance what happened he will spill everything and this isn't another burden anyone else needs to bare.

"Just hold me....please. Need to know your here." He mumbles into his shoulder.

"What do you need?" Kuro asks quietly.

"Talk to me?"

"Okay."

He guides him over to the couch where Kuro sits down and turns to take off Lance's chest and gauntlet armor so he can easily lay against his warm and wide chest without making either one uncomfortable. Curling his arms under his back Kuro wraps his around low on his back. Lance shuffle a bit until he can lay his head where he can see his boyfriend's face and feel the heart  beneath him beating away.

_Alive and safe._

Starting to rub soft circles into his lower back Kuro begins, "I'll tell you about the time I got lost in a Sequoia forest with my cousins, Cheyenne and Ryou, and thought the best choice was to climb one to see if we could see anyone else."

* * *

* * *

 

Tears fall intermittently onto his fingers, barely dampened the spacesuit, but the faint noise does break him out of his memories about the last two movements. Wiping them away viciously the console lights up three times indicating that the deed was done. Taking the drive out gently Lance stores it in the chest's armor pocket and turns around to walk down the aisle of Haggar's lair. Everything was illuminated by a huanting lavender that makes chills crawl up his spine. He walks not knowing his destination and finds himself standing in front of a shelf staring towards the back of it. He feels like he was pulled here, but it was more likely that he just happened stopped here because of what he's looking at right now.

A brightly lit Altean science log. 

Picking it up and turning it on it only takes Lance ticks to know this was Honerva's work. The way she would write the hypothesis after dating and how she would make a short list after of what she was going to test. As he goes through he recognized both experiments he helped her run or ones before his time. The good memories of before the war has tears pricking at the edge of his eyes once again. Now everything is so twisted and wrong and definitely not the future that was planned or that he'd hoped for. His future was supposed to be solemn and caring as a consort to another, even though he wanted nothing more than to travel to as many stars as he could. But in the end he was going to make the best of it. Though now he has his adventure, but it's too much, too raw, for anyone and especially him.

"What is that?"

"Ack!"

Jolting away from the voice much closer than expected Lance drops the log as he spins around to see Lotor.

"I'm sorry A'lanor. I didn't mean to startle you." He frowns apologetically.

"It fine. I was just really into the notes."

"Oh? Something useful?" Lotor asks as he bends down to pick up the log.

"More like personal." Lance responses quietly.

Lotor looks perplexed before turn it on and his eyes widen in awe only to soften.

"These were written by my mother, Honerva, thousands of years ago."

"Huh. You said that earlier, but I think in everything that got kind of lost."

"Most likely."

As he looks at the notes with such wonder Lance finds himself speaking up.

"She was also a great woman with a fantastic sense of wit. She was very sweet and caring too. Even when she was getting sick."

Lotor looks over with amazement in his wide eyes and Lance can't help the lopsided grin at Lotor's face. He looked like a child just gifted a phoeb's supply of lumaberries.

"You knew her well?" Lotor asks reverently,

"I spent my whole sixteenth year with her. I'm sorry for the way things happen." Lance apologizes sorrowfully.

The Galra prince looks down at him in a confused manner, "You had no control of that as I have no control on the time of a forming star."

"I guess but...."

_But I still feel a little responsible._

They look through the notes with Lance pointing out a few of the experiments he remembered, but with every one the pit in his stomach as he thinks about the past becomes wider and darker. He can't stay here, not because he hasn't finished his other mission, but because he can't stand this one and it just feels like he shouldn't be here like he was invading.

"Lotor, I think I ... I should leave this to you and Allura."

And Lance thinks he would actually giggle at how wide Lotor's eyes get if he still wasn't feeling horrible.

"You are important to this endeavor too."

"But Allura is the one who wants this to work. She the clear choice – in more ways than one – and, well I'm not surprised by your reaction; In the presence of the sun, no one see the moon."

"A'lanor."

"I'm not as special as her or as filled with potential, at least anymore. This – we may need to be balanced, but that doesn't mean we have to be together. She might be the one to find what you need, she's been good with that. Sensing things."

Lotor grins slightly at that, "Now who is speaking in riddles."

"Not now Lotor just... not now," Lance shakes his head, "I – I'm trusting you. Please be safe with her heart."

"Her?" He asks looking shocked again.

"I'm not blind." Lance smiles sadly.

Maybe Lotor will get that 'royal alliance' he wanted if the soft glances each gave the other meant anything.

"..... I will think of nothing else but her happiness." Lotor tells him solemnly.

"Good."

And with an awkward farewell he leaves the lair for another console which finishes much faster than Haggar's, completely eradicating all her despicable work. With that done and not wanting to wander alone Lance decides to find out what team Punk has been up to. It was easy finding a sentry to help, but locating Pidge and Hunk was quite difficult as their sentry had turned off their location beacon. It takes looking for non-Galra lifeforms for Lance to find them. Following the directions from the sentry that helped him he finds Hunk, Pidge, and their robot hitting balls into one of the hangar.

"Guys?" Lance calls out cautiously as Hunk swings and his ball flies off.

"Lance!" He yells running up to give him a tight hug.

"Why aren't with your other royalty being all spiffy together?" Pidge asks with a playful smirk.

"Well after the tea party and making educated guess on artwork I got bored." Lance replies in a bored tone feeling slightly better.

"I knew it. What you need is some fun." Pidge says with a devious grin.

"Really? Well I guess if team Punk says so I have to agree based on prior evidence."

"Quiet paladudes. You'll mess with my stroke." The sentry hushes them much to Lance's confusion and joy knowing they must have rewired it like they said they would.

"We're playing golf."

After the fun sentry, Lance tries his hand and it was more of the force he put into the hit then the aim when it knocked down crates at the far end of the hanger. He guesses it was good because Hunk gave him a back slap and the sentry held his hand up for a high-five. But it was also good at altering the guards as two appeared yelling at the group. Pidge grabs his hand and pulls and they start to run down the long halls of Central Command.

"Yeeeaaah we may also be on the run." Pidge calls to him not sounding the least bit worried.

Laughter spills from Lance's lips as he easily catches up with them, "No, I don't think that was mentioned."

After two torrent movements time filled with friends without secrets felt like amazing. They took photos, lanced, eat popsicles, and rocketed the fun sentry into space. It definitely lightened his mood from what it was earlier and also just affirming that sometimes the moment is as important as the full results. They would get their Shiro back and save the universe so they could all do something as fun as this soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you all thought this was going to be about one of the funniest episodes, but you were wrong!
> 
> I feel seriously cheated that Lance hasn't gotten to use the broadsword yet and I refused to let that stand! Plus, the clones had to be handled.


	10. To those who are worthy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is still deciding if Lotor should be trusted or not, but at the moment he's not so sure of himself. Secrets always have consequences.

"Hey? What's so funny?" Lance smiles at Shiro, who turns away with his shoulders shaking.

They were in the combined astral plane and were sitting side by side on the bank of the endless river among the aflame reeds. Lance had been telling them about his adventure at Central Command with the fun sentry, but the Lions had to get involved sending feelings of unsafety and disappointment at some of his actions even though he didn't get in trouble. Lance pouted at the sky only to hear a snort from his right. Turning to the accused, Shiro looks away from him swiftly as his shoulders shake because he felt the Lions' emotions since he was apart of Black now.

"Shiro? Come on, what is it?" Lance asks again poking him in his ribs making the snickers a bit higher pitch as he prods at his ticklish spot.

"Stop! No! Don't do that!" Shiro yelps as he laughs and scoots back from the bank into the reeds for safety.

"I will if you don't tell me." Lance grins as he sits up on his knees and wiggles his fingers at him.

"Alright. Alright, I know when I'm beat."

"Good. So?"

"I was just thinking the way they were reacting isn't new and it's kind of — I think they treat you and see you like a kitten. Their kitten."

Lance stares back at Shiro in wide eye shock as the other starts to smirk in amusement.

"I'm a grown Altean!" Lance yells glaring at the sky before giving the rest of the landscape the same look that has Shiro huffing in barely concealed laughter.

But before he can call him out for giving them the idea the Lions all rumble and purr in agreement and delight as well.

Gasping dramatically, Lance shout out, "Slander! Absolute slander!"

But he can't keep the smile off his face as he does it and that pushes Shiro over the edge as his deep laugh echoes along with the other faint noises of the plane.

"Don't be upset. You're a very sweet kitten." Shiro tries to say in between chuckles and has Lance rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

"With sharp claws." Lance amends.

"The sharpest." Shiro concedes as he scoots back over to the bank.

Lance shuffles over on his knees and straddles Shiro so he can sit on his lap, but mostly so he can easily gaze into his beautiful expressive eyes. Shiro peers back – shyly – from time to time as he encircles his waist. Lance found out Shiro was a bit embarrassed with eye contact when it comes to someone he's enamored with and Lance just thought it was adorable. As Shiro looks down again Lance reaches up from where his hands were resting, interlock together, behind Shiro's neck and gently cradles and tilts his boyfriend's head up so they're at almost eye level. Pressing a soft and pleasant kiss to the side of his lips Shiro looks up, but not with the expression Lance was hoping for. His brow was knitted with concern and his eyes shining with melancholy.

"Why do you visit so much?" He asks quietly.

"Because I can." Lance answers him in a whisper.

"You use a lot of energy. I know you do. You look so exhausted before you leave."

"I just want to Sh—" 

"Lance," And Lance sees his eyes harden as Shiro tries to look for the truth, "Please tell me."

He wasn't going to say nothing. Tell him that he was being overly concerned or paranoid, but the words don't make it out of his throat.

"You're all alone," He starts as his thumbs gently caress Shiro's cheekbones, "I know you can't tell the difference in time and I want to make sure you still feel human and — This, this has never happened before. Who knows what could happen if I can't do what I said."

Pausing he wraps his arms around Shiro's shoulders to bring him in for a hug as he lays his head on his left shoulder.

"I don't want you to feel forgotten and I want to see you as much as I can in case I quiznak this up."

Then Shiro is the one tilting his head up to press a soft kiss to his forehead, "I have faith in you. Always will. And don't worry so much, there are others that need you too." Shiro smiles down on him and Lance feels like he's in front of a star with how bright he is, with how much faith he has with Lance balancing his life. 

"Thank you." He whispers and he was going to say that he would try to live up to this, but before he could Blue and Green are nudging him, telling him that the others are looking for him.

Looking back to Shiro he wears a despondent look with his lips turned up in an imitation of a grin. 

"I have to go." Lance says with a grimace as he stands up.

"It's fine," Shiro tells him as he stands too, and as dashing a Paladin as ever, he takes his right hand and kisses his knuckles, "The universe needs you." 

And Lance feels he could swoon from that simple act, and he kind of does as Black drops the back of the chair and makes Lance clumsily fall out of the astral plane and onto the floor of the darkened command pod.

* * *

"You found a compass stone!" Lance exclaims when Allura finally shows what she was hiding behind her back.

"Yes we did A’lanor. What is it that you know of it?" Lotor asks slowly as they turn to look at him questioningly.

Lance couldn't even back out of this mistake as he had already let them know he knew what they knew.

With a put out sigh he says defeated, "That it will lead us to Oriande."

"So it is true." Lotor smiles looking unbelievably happy until Coran starts chuckling.

"I'm afraid someone's been ruggling your wimble, Prince Lotor," He says with a tone almost condescending before turning a critical eye to him, "And Prince you know Oriande is just an Altean folktale. It doesn't actually exist."

"That's what I thought, Coran, but now with this and Lance’s secretive admission, I have a feeling it is quite real." Allura says as she looks in his direction as he makes his way over to Kuro, who steps in front of him with a soft smile on his lips and hiding him from Allura's piercing gaze.

"Well I can assure you, King Alfor never mentioned anything to me about traveling to Oriande." Coran counters.

"Because he didn’t want to put anyone in danger." Lance adds. Since everything is coming to light he might as well tell the whole truth.

"What?" Coran ask as he spins towards him.

"So you do know something. You’ve been there?" 

"No," Lance answers scratching the back of his neck, "Allura do you remember the three years after we discovered my abilities and I caused power surges, the explosions, and had those really bad fevers."

"I'm quite sure the west garden was never the same after one of them." Allura replies in her own way of 'yes'.

"Well they didn't just stop like Father said. They, well it wasn't killing me, but it was hurting me. It was causing my muscles to seize and I couldn't control the power. The jumpstart from the Lions was too much and with no training and not sure what to do we — he went to get help."

"So you have been to Oriande." Lotor asks again looking somewhat annoyed.

"Sort of. I remember Father saying the name, but I was having a fever again so I could be wrong. But I remember seeing white and feeling a pulling sensation and I think I tried to go to it, but I'm not sure. All I know is that I woke up on an unknown Altean-like planet and with a thin band around my left wrist and Father told me to show him what I could do. And I could and it was incredible because nothing hurt and more importantly nothing exploded."

"He went back to find a way to curtail your powers." Lotor surmises.

"Yes. Until I could with more training. I did eventually asks and he told me, but he asked me to keep it a secret."

"Of course he would." He hears Allura mutter.

"So, this is all real and we're using a magic rock to guide us to this mysterious all-knowing planet?" Pidge questions sound suspicious and with it worded like that he was inclined to agree with her.

"Oriande," Lotor politely corrects her, though at Pidge's arched brow it wasn't nice enough, "It is the birthplace of all Altean alchemy. The place where King Alfor learned the secrets that helped him create Voltron and where their true royalty will master those same secrets so that my ships may enter the quintessence field."

"And what makes you the authority on Altean alchemy? Coran knows more than anyone I've ever met." Hunk tells him as he pats Coran's back with a hard slap.

Coughing out a thanks to Hunk's pat on the back Lotor cuts off anything else Coran was going to say by telling him that he had been researching this for centuries and had found numerous clues to its existence, which doesn't surprise Lance with how much his people liked to travel the stars.

"Uh, aren't you a little busy running your empire - to take a magical vacation, though?" Hunk pipes up again causing Lotor to turn a testy look at him as he answers.

"In order to transition the Galra Empire to a peaceful existence, I need to open up a pathway to the quintessence field. Once my people have access to unlimited energy, the old ways of the empire will be behind them."

"If this voyage is successful, the universe will finally be on the path to peace." Allura agrees.

"Well, let's find out where we're going." Kuro says closing the discussion and nodding to Allura to power up the compass stone.

Where they were going was the Patrulian Zone that was basically a voyager of the stars worse place to end up. But when they get there Lance can see why, but can also see why people kept going back. It was terrifyingly beautiful and glowed a fierce white just like he remembered.

"Unbelievable! It's a white hole!" Pidge gaps at the screen.

"Whoa!" Hunk smiles, "Take that, theoretical physics!" He cries happily. 

"I was more of a cosmology and somewhat mechanics guy, so what's a white hole?" Kuro asks nicely as he turns back to them.

"Well, it basically the opposite of a black hole. So instead of gravity pulling everything in, a white hole shoots out energy, a massive amounts of it, from an unknown source." Lance explains all completely accompanied by hand-motions, because why not and it gets Kuro's lips to twitch upward in a quick grin.

"Yeah and it's blasting this whole area with crazy high radiation." Hunks says as he looks over his read outs.

Kuro turns around to look at it frown, "Meaning this must've fried those ships' systems." 

"The wise stand back from the fire..." Lance hears this and its like a Iterian flame goes off in his head as he continues the rest of the poem on command.

"Fools are burned on the pyre. The mystic becomes one with the flame, the embers and he are the same." As he does he and Lotor turn to each other not really in shock, but more in understanding.

Hunk looks back and forth between the two prince in confusion, "Say what now?"

"It's a poem by an ancient Altean alchemist. I discovered it carved next to a cave painting of a fiery sphere. I expect your father told you,” Lotor looks to him and Lance can only nod as he was told this if ever their was a reason he needed to go, "I never realized until now that it describes the route to Oriande. We must go into the white hole."

"Are you guys serious? We're navigating by cave poetry now?" Hunk stands up from his chair and even Lance is quick to agree that while this matches a lot of what he vaguely remembers this would be the worst idea ever.

"How are we to go through the white hole? If we get closer, we're gonna end up like those dead ships there." Pidge points out, but Allura seems undeterred by that 'minor' inconvenience.

"We wormhole inside." She says in a chilly commanding tone.

"Allura!" He calls out.

And as he looks to her and her unchanging facade Lance knows he should’ve kept an eye on them being together too long, but he had had other priorities. Other secrets that he needed to protect. But with the more she sides with Lotor and the more restless the team became because of him Lance knew he made the wrong decision to not buffer their contact.

"Princess, no!" 

"Voltron can withstand forces other ships cannot. Father made sure of it." She replies stonily as she continues to stare down the astro-anomaly.

_Is she trying to prove something?_

"Are you sure?" Kuro asks as he stands up and looks back at her with concern.

"If this is the home of Altean alchemy, then Voltron will make it through."

"And what if the energies don’t line up like you think and we're repulsed by it _or_ there’s nothing there and we enter an area of pure fission? Then we're toast." Lance tries to make her see reason, but instead of looking to him she looks to Lotor for guidance.

_She trusting him over me?!_

He didn't want to believe it, but there it is.

"Princess, I think you've taken this quest far enough. Lotor is sending you to your doom."

"Quite the opposite. It is a mission of life discovery." Lotor says with a lofty grin.

"You need to stop this!" Lance sneers at him, done with whatever poison he was filling Allura's head with. Oriande maybe real but its not worth the risk.

"Lance," The way Allura calls out his name with an arched look and purse lips tells Lance he has been reprimanded and he takes a step back, biting his tongue against speaking out again.

"Believe me, I would never ask any of you to do this if I didn't know if I didn't feel in my heart that it is true. I belong here."

Kuro reluctantly agrees and soon they're taking Voltron into a wormhole and thankfully while there are intense readings of radiation unlike Lance had ever seen Voltron was unaffected and when he touched at his bonds the Lions reported being fine. But soon everything goes downhill as a face of a Lion appears at what looks like the middle column of the light structure and immediately firing on them. It's not until Lotor yells over their comms that he knows nothing good can come from this.

"You need to get out of there! That thing is a guardian! It will only allow worthy Alteans through!"

"What?" Hunk yells, but Kuro cuts him off with a command to fall back.

A blast meant for them sails out of the hole and with Voltron's eyes they see the ship getting hit. Coran relays to them what is happening before the comms shut off halfway through his sentence and they rush back. But in their escape one more blast hits them dead on separating the Lions and snapping Lance's connection like a twig, harsh and quick. The scream of pain is ripped from his lips as he tries cradling his head against the pain seeping into his temples.

"Lance! Lance what’s wrong?!" Kuro cries out over the helmet comms making the ripples of pain left shake his body again.

"I can’t feel them," He manages to whisper, but the more he says it the more he realizes what's happened, "I-I can't feel them at all. Nothing! I can’t feel him!"

"Guys! I can't control my Lion." Pidge grunts as she hits something.

Lance can hear her hit something over the short-range comms, but can't hear Green complain about it, how it could injure some of her gadgets Pidge created for her and Lance doesn't know what to do. Kuro calls for a manual EVA and somehow he gets out of Red, who is so quiet. He may not talk the most, but some emotion is always rolling off him and now... now there's nothing. Looking back at all of them just floating, dead like that, that they could – that Shiro could be —

"Hey."

Turning swiftly around at the touch to his shoulder Lance comes face to face with a grim Kuro as he too looks back at their ships, their companions.

"Don’t worry," He says with determination, "We'll figure it out and they'll be fine. And you’ll be chatting with them in no time." 

But Lance can only nod. Kuro takes his hand and they fly back to the listing ship. Not even a tick onto the bridge and Coran is giving them a rundown on their perilous situation. But everyone is more focused on what happened and what is up with Lotor's new found sïqę. Lance included.

"I fear it is like A’lanor said, it seems that he was partially right in his assumption that now the Lions are not recognized. Either way I am sorry to put us in this position, but I think I know the answer. Look at Allura and A’lanor."

"Whoa! What's happening?" Pidge gasps as she points to her cheek.

Lance looks down at his helmet and in the back of it sees his reflection hazy and rounded, but definitely glowing.

"You have them, too." Allura says reverently as she walks toward him about to reach out for him before dropping her hands to seem dignified.

"It's called the Mark of the Chosen," Lotor answers, but sound equally entrances as he looks down, "They are mentioned in some of the Oriande legends. They indicate those worthy of entering the realm."

"Wait, why aren't Coran's marks glowing?" Kuro asks.

"There are different types of Alteans. Allura possesses a deep connection to ancient Altean energy. A’lanor does as well with the added effect of being able to have direct contact with it and has used it become stronger, bond with the Lions. It also enables them to operate the Teludav and change their shape and size. Their father had greater alchemic understanding than any before him," Lotor explains with glee, before looking to Coran with a slight condescending look and saying, "Others are less magical, no offense."

"So, what do we do now?" Hunk questions as he looks back to the white hole.

"Allura, A’lanor, and I need to enter the white hole alone." 

"What?" Kuro grounds out he glares at Lotor.

"Absolutely not! What about the monster?"

"The monster is a guard keeping the unworthy out."

"And we're just suppose to let you go in alone." Kuro sneers with a flat look.

"It shouldn't hurt us," Lance speaks up before something happens, "Honestly if it's following other Altean mythos when its satisfy it should restore what it broke."

"And you're sure?" Kuro turns to him, looking like he's pleading for him to not go. Well he doesn't have to worry.

"Yes. I - I know its true. And plus, I wouldn’t send Allura into a place I didn’t trust."

"Send— Lance are you not coming?" She finally turns from Lotor to look over him distressed, "This is something that we could never have again and you're giving it up!"

"The Lions told me why they made us change. It was so that we would be balanced and even though I didn't like it they're right," Lance walks toward her and reaches out for her free hand, "I am the strongest alchemist we have, but you are coming into your powers too and you've been doing great. But we're supposed to be on equal standing and we can't if I exceed you again."

Bringing her in for a hug he continues quietly, "What you'll learn there will be for you. You deserve it. You deserve to carry on Father's legacy."

"We both should." She whispers back.

"I already have Red and the sword. I'm not taking this way from you too."

"It was never taken. It just wasn't mine to have," She says with a level of maturity and calm conscience he wishes he could have sometimes, "Are you sure?" She asks again.

"Yes. You can use the personal transport crafts to get to the hole." Lance suggests.

"Allura, please! It's too dangerous."

"Coran," She says with pleadingly gaze, "I must gain some kind of alchemic knowledge in Oriande, both to save our own lives and bring peace to the universe."

"A’lanor! You can’t possible in favor of this."

"I don't like it, but she's right Coran," He tells the advisor sadly, "The Castle is stuck unless we can somehow get it restarted. But I doubt the guardian would allow it."

"Don't worry. This will work. I can feel it." Allura tells him before bringing their honorary uncle in for a farewell hug that he returns enthusiastically.

Lance tries to make Coran feel better by escorting them down to the main hanger bay and as Allura readies the transport gliders Lance helps Lotor with getting his hair under his helmet. 

"A'lanor. Thank you for what you said—"

"Cut the pleasantries. This is important." Lance harshly cuts him off and as the other prince turns to look at him with wide eyes he knows he has his attention.

"I don't trust you very much, but Allura is starting to so right now you hold something very fragile in your grasp and I know you know that. You need to know that this right here, this is a dream for her. It's not about you or the universe right now it is about _her_." He stresses as he takes a few steps closer to Lotor, crowding into his space.

"This is a way for her to be closer to our Father in a way she thought she was lacking. She never was, but I am trying to give it to her. I can't let her pass up this opportunity and if you do anything that stops her from coming back I will not hesitate to stab your own sword through your chest and drop you out an airlock." Lance snarls at him as he pokes him hard enough that the surprised prince stumbles back.

Lotor blinks at him before asking in a blase tone, "Are you threatening me?"

"Of course. Why else would I be here?" At his admission Lotor stands up straighter as stares down at him with a critical eye, not in distaste, but interest, "Do not make me regret this."

* * *

"It's okay, Shiro. I'll be quiet." Lance sighs as he steps out of Kuro's warm touch at his back.

Walking to the other side of the hall he hugs himself and stays turned away so he can't see how truly rattled he is. He was trying to remain calm, but the moment his sister leaves Lance is scared. The moment his marks stop glowing tells him Allura is through and he is a mess. He can't stop pacing and fiddling with the tools that Pidge and Hunk were trying to use to restart some part of the Castle's energy core and every time he asks a question it gets lost in the other, slightly more, important discussion of how do we get the air to turn back on. Eventually Pidge can't handle it anymore screaming at him and telling Shiro to do something about his boyfriend.

"It's okay to be worried. We all are, but we have to compartmentalize our problems." Kuro says quietly.

"I know. I know."

The stand in the darkness with only auxiliary light barely lighting the hall and Lance feels so removed from everything.

"Lance, can I ask you something?" Kuro finally breaks the silence as he steps closer.

"Of course." Lance says, but still can't turn around.

"Do you remember, on Olkarion, how you asked me about talking to you from inside Voltron?"

_Anything but that._

Lance thinks as his muscles in his back tense at the question.

"Yeah?" He tries to says causally as he slowly spins around to face Kuro.

"What happened there? I can't remember any of it." He asks looking very puzzled and apprehensive.

"We were all in Voltron's astral plane, which is quiet boring if you ask me, but you were yelling something and I couldn't hear you." Lance says calmly hoping the light joking manner he spoke in would distracted him.

And while Kuro looks none the wiser to Lance's facade he still frowns as his eyes twitch around the edges. That gets Lance's attention as he turns around fully to reach up and smooth over the contracting muscles with his thumb.

"How are you feeling? Is - is it another headache?"

Sighing deeply, Lance can hear the despair in Kuro's voice as he grunts and leans into the touch and steps closer to him.

"No. It's I – I don't know. My head – I'm just – it feels like I'm here, but not. That I'm missing something important even when I feel fine. And the headaches and mood swings aren't helping either. I – I'm just feeling so confused. It's like —" And he trails off moving his face away as he turns to look down the dark hall, hopeless.

"What?" Lance quietly asks as he reaches out for him again.

"Like I'm not myself." Kuro answers and the look of anguish, disgust, and pain at that admission has Lance quickly molding Kuro into a hug and that he all but collapses in, but Lance can and will hold him up.

_Truer than you know._

Kuro doesn't cry, but he does take deep stuttering breathes like he's trying to stop himself and all Lance could do is rub comforting circles into his back. Lance couldn't tell him why he wasn't feeling right. That it was because he wasn't truly who he thought he was. The consequences of destroying someone ideal of self was not something Lance wanted. He had been struggling with this loving both version, but in the end it was Shiro regardless of the circumstance and he was going to keep him safe no matter what. 

"Okay. It's going to be okay like you told me." Lance coos softly when Kuro starts to shake in his arms.

"It doesn't feel like." He breathes out hoarsely.

"Come on. Let's sit down. We'll get through this."

He lets go so they can sit side by side, so similar to how Lance had started his day with Kuro turned in to his side more as he rest his head against his shoulder. The faint clattering noises of Pidge, Hunk, and Coran fill the space as they sit quietly trying not to stew in their pain.

"Do you think I did the right thing? With trusting Lotor?" Lance ask eventually as it feels like the air was getting more stagnant.

Kuro slides up and takes Lance's right hand in his gently and entangles their fingers.

"I think.... you made the right decision. The best at the time. It's hard to trust the enemy, but he's been right so far. I - I think he can be a help. That everything is going to go well."

"Will it?" Lance looks up still feeling lower than low for giving Lotor what he wanted and not truly being there for either parts of Shiro.

"It will Lance. I know it. And I know you want peace too. Don't ever doubt that. You're right,we'll get through this." Kuro tells him with a slight smile as he squeezes his hand in comfort and leans over to press a kiss to the crown of his head.

* * *

After six vargas the Castle still hasn't been restarted and Pidge and Coran divert the rest of the air to the bridge and close off all other entrances. In a last ditch attempt Lance tries to restart the ship from the Teludav station, but is proven right that the guardian will have to stop whatever it did for them to have a chance, chosen or not. 

"I was right. The guardian or a chosen one would have to—" But whatever he was about to say just didn't make it pass his lips as his lightheadedness got worst and everything became dark for a moment before he felt smooth armor radiating warmth next to his cheek.

"Rest. Save your breath. We have to wait for them to get back." Kuro whispers as he smooths back some of Lance's hair from his face.

_Shiro caught me again._

"I'm making a habit of this aren't I?" Lance whispers as Kuro props them up against the platform.

"What?"

"Falling for you."

Kuro chuckles as Pidge boos him for his ridiculous line.

"I don't have a problem with it." Kuro says lightly as he holds him closer and Lance snuggles into his chest and lets his legs tangle with Kuro's.

He can sometimes hear the others talking about different ways to maybe try and restart the ship, but then a punch of air comes into his lungs and as Lance opens his eyes and looks down he can see the light blue of his own sïqę glowing under his eyes and knows that they're back.

"They're coming." He whispers just as the Castle starts to beep about incoming projectiles, the royal kind.

It takes them another varga after the power comes back on for them to even try to move from the lack of air, but in that time Lance can feel the Lions awakening. All groaning and complaining about the blast and stiffness, but Lance gladly lets all their emotions flow over him because even though they sound like annoyed children they're alright – including Shiro – and that's all that matters.

"You did it! We should have never doubted you." Kuro congratulates them after they get their whiny Lions back into their bay to recharge.

"I couldn't have done it without Lotor." Allura praises Lotor with a genuine smile.

"You are a true Altean alchemist. Oriande was for you, not for me." Lotor says kindly, but the words he uses has Lance feeling sorry for him.

Lotor tries to return the sentiment, but Lance can see and hear that this was hard for him. He obviously cared for his Altean heritage more and having the legacy the Galra had Lance doesn't blame him. He mostly feels like a failure for not being the one to unlock the secrets of Oriande. Lance may not trust him, but he can see what he's doing and as of right now that's fine for Lance because more importantly he brought Allura back and that's what matters.


	11. Our love is unmatched by time or space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Their delicate situation is going well and quietly. Now Lance just doesn't have to raise any alarms about his love life for the next two to three movements. He can do that.
> 
> He thinks.

So Lance is officially the most 'charging' prince ever.

Because he's acting like a battery.....

Whatever – It just means that the transition works....Sort of. 

After coming back from Oriande Lance wants to try to move some of Shiro's essence into his clone, but an attack by Sendak of all people running around the universe with a small fleet called the Fire of Purification stops Lance from his chance. They rush out to the labor planet to help with the shield and Hunk saves the day even with everything seeming to go wrong for them. And after what happened to him Lance thinks it's smart to waits at least two quintants before trying.

Calling Kuro to meet him by Black with a message saying it was very important. As he waits Lance walks up to Black placing his hands on their paw and sinking into the astral plane, but not all the way. It was like he's moving through a viscous fog as he reaches out for Shiro. Finding him is easy, like a beacon for a lighthouse, but the problem becomes how much should he take. He can't do it all in one move, he knows that, but not knowing how much he could is nerve racking. Pushing his magic down almost completely, so that they don't mix, Lance starts to pull on Shiro's essence and feels the influx of foreign and pleasant energy like a deep continuous inhale of air prickling his skin like a cold chill despite the warmth that flows through him. Deeming what he took was enough for him to handle Lance pulls away from the lavender light and back to himself where he finds Kuro looking at him in awe and fear, not for himself but for Lance.

"Lance. You're – you're glowing."

And looking down at his hands Lance sees that he is in fact glowing an opalescent blue and indigo. Reminding himself to always do this away from the others he strides over to Kuro who is only a few steps away and reaches up to place his hands at his temples. The instant he touches Kuro the energy he's holding at bay rushes out of him leaving him nearly breathless. When it's finally done it feels like a sharp slap to Lance's face as the connection snaps, pushing them both back. Lance stumbles back trying not to step on his cape and fall or to let the wooziness of transferring essentially another person to tip him over. The moment Lance can stand up straight he's glancing over to see his boyfriend on his knees taking deep labored breathes. Walking over cautiously, trying to be as quite as possible, Lance makes it over to the fallen Human as his breathing settles down.

"S-Shiro?" Lance whispers as he makes an abortive reach for him.

Biting his lip in nervousness he starts to kneel too only for Kuro to move his head up extremely fast, stopping Lance in his tracks. He blinks a few times before reaching up to his left ear and tugging on it gently.

The way Shiro said he would tell Lance that he had been successful.

Falling to his knees with a thud Lance pulls the man over to him in a crushing hug.

"I did it! You're okay. It worked!"

Chuckling as he starts to hug back Shiro whispers back, "Yes you did."

It takes a momentous amount of strength to pull back, especially when Shiro's normal hand slides up the back of his neck tickling as it goes, but Lance has to know.

"Is – Is he still there too?"

Lance felt horrible for asking since he had grown attached, grown to love Kuro as much as he did Shiro, both the identity and the spiritual essence. He doesn't think he could handle losing someone that had taken up that much space in his heart regardless of the oddness of it all they were both Shiro and he loved them.

Shiro leans over with a faint smile and presses a soft kiss to his right cheek and whispers against it, "We met."

Lance blinks at him in bewilderment as his mouth tries to work to say something, but can't. Thankfully Shiro sees his dilemma and keeps talking.

"We talked. He knows what he – well, what we are and what's going on."

"So he's fading." Lance frowns looking away so Shiro won't see his watery eyes.

Dying sounded like too much of a harsh word, especially when he was getting what he wanted.

"No," Shiro grimaces as he leans back looking a bit confused as he tries to tell Lance what happened, "It odd to explain, but it's like we're merging. Right now, I can tell he's kind of there, but also not. Like some of the memories I'm experiencing now feel like a very lucid dream and the emotions are faint, but they're still mine. I don't think it will be a 'one stays the other has to go' situation. He's me and he wants me – us – to be happy and I don't think I'm losing him. It's more like getting back some memories I lost.....like amnesia almost. Because he was me despite what he was created for – he was Takashi Shirogane. Someone who loves space, being a Paladin, and most importantly you."

Lance stares back, his heart falling out of his chest in surprise while also shooting into his throat with elation.

They were alright.

Shiro was alright.

And it didn't matter which, Shiro, Kuro, or both they all loved him like he loved him.

"Thank you for still loving all me." Shiro smiles and Lance can't stop the ugly tears that slide down his face.

"Hey. It's a happy thing." Shiro tries to comfort him pulling him back into the hug.

"I know," Lance sniffles as he wipes his tears away, "There's just a lot of emotions right now and, and, and—" and as he looks up to Shiro's smiling face he is surprised by something else he hadn't accounted for.

The stress on the body.

Lance can't really do more than gesture to the side of his head trying to explain what happened to Shiro's hair. As Shiro peers back at him perplexed Lance reaches out to pluck a strand of hair from his head, bringing it up for Shiro's viewing. His eyes widen in shock before he's up looking for a reflective surface. It takes them at least five doboshes before they realize there's nothing in the bay that can be used as a mirror so Lance teleports them to his room and Shiro takes off into his closet the moment he sees where they are. As Lance follows at a more sedate pace he comes to the scene of Shiro leaning over the sink looking at either side of his head. On either side there were streaks of white that stopped just past his ears. Shiro stares at his reflection with such a displeased face as he mumbles some unintelligent sounds that definitely belong on the spectrum of severely irked that Lance is biting at his thumb trying not to laugh.

Pushing down the mirth at his disgruntled boyfriend Lance asks gently, "Shiro?"

"Skunk. I look like a skunk." He groans as he head drops forward in disparity.

"I think you look fine." Lance tries and gets a grunt for his troubles.

Taking Shiro's right hand he turns him around, but he still looks away with a pout so Lance steps closer and places his hands on his hips, pick him up, and places him on the sink. That seems to shock Shiro into looking at him with surprise before frowning as a dusting of delicate pink lines his scar as he looks down.

"You don't think I look like a skunk." He sulks and sounds stupidly endearing to Lance's ears.

"I don't know what that is," Lance tells him proudly as he tilts his boyfriend's chin up, "So I can say 'no' you don't look like a skunk. You look like Shiro. A very dignified one too," Lance leans up on his tippy toes to give him a kiss on the cheek before stepping away.

"I can make it all better." As he rummages through the cabinets next to the door.

"How?"

"Mall trip that me and Allura got in trouble for. We got some hair dye."

"Why? You can change your hair."

"Yeah, but we still have to put some thought into it and with dye we can make it all different colors and not worry at trying to remember how we did it last. Ah-ha! Here it is."

Pulling out the small box he brings it over why explaining that the dye works for about three weeks unless Shiro uses the special shampoo with it to wash it out. It came with six colors plus black and adding three drops and mixing it into the white cream it turns pitch black in which Lance only has twenty doboshes before the cream eats the coloring chemicals and returns to its white color. Donning gloves he directs Shiro to sit on the toilet seat and he quickly takes a thin comb lightly through the mixture and combs back through his hair, watching with a smile as it turns smooth black within ticks.

"There," As Lance smiles at his work he steps back so Shiro could see, "It's like nothing happened."

With Shiro admiring his new dye job Lance puts everything away, but leaves it at the far end of the counter for when they may need it again. And as Lance places his comb in the sink he looks over to see how giddy Shiro looks only for the next moment after he blinks his eyes are focused up at the faint lights from his drapes above him.

"Whaaaa?" A drugged and sleep-rough sound climbs out of his throat.

Hearing rustle coming from somewhere else he struggles to sit up only for the dizziness to knock him back.

"Hey. Don't do too much." He hears and even the quietness of Shiro's voice sounds loud to Lance.

"Shiro? Wha–what happened?" Lance tries to says, but starts to cough instead as Shiro helps him prop himself up against the pillows.

"You likely overdid it because you just pitched forward next to me. You've been out for at least six hours. How much did you take?" Shiro questions as he passes him a glass of water.

And as Lance drinks he thinks back to – this morning? – either way he thinks he knows how much and can't imagine Shiro will be okay with it.

"Uhh....half? Maybe?" He answers even if he is still vague on it. He'll need to ask Black later.

"Lance!" Shiro scowls down at him, at least Lance assumes because he can't see that much in the dimness of his room, but the tone of frustration sounds about right.

"Hey, it's your fault. You're – you're just so addictive." Lance complains back as he settles back into his pillows.

Shiro looks down at him and Lance could practically see the perplexed look before he turns his back to him, sitting on the edge of his bed with a heavy disbelieving sigh leaving him, before looking over his shoulder with a smirk, "I'm _so_ sorry I have such a desirable being. It must be so _difficult_ for you." 

"Got that right." Lance huffs haughtily, getting Shiro to roll his eyes.

Leaning over Shiro press a soft and passionately sweet kiss to his lips leaving Lance breathless. He doesn't even realize he's eyes closed until Shiro is pushing his hair back.

"Get some more rest. I'll cover for you."

Lance sleeps until evening meal with Shiro bring him his food to him. It was a good thing too as Shiro struggled to chew a few times and had a very emotional moment over being able to eat again.

After this every three quintants Lance would add a bit more of Shiro's essence to his new body, giving him not only time to adjust to all the normal basic everyquintant actions like sleeping, showering, eating, and exercising but also the effects of gravity, breathing, and motor skills. When he could Shiro would run simulations with Black or run exercises with Lance, luckily most of the fights they were in they immediately combined into Voltron, which made up for the shakiness in Shiro's piloting as he got back into the rhythm of things.

Shiro also starts referring to himself as 'we' instead of 'I', even dropping Kuro's name when they're alone and almost slipping up in front of the others causing Lance to make a ridiculous scene to stop anyone from asking the dreaded question 'Who is Kuro?'. The others also start to express concerns when Shiro seems to stop what he's doing and looks like he's mind is drifting, which he tells Lance is him remembering he could move around freely with a destination in mind instead of the void of the astral plane. At most Lance can brush their friends off by saying it was the headaches, which shockingly had disappeared completely. 

So all in all everything is going well with only a few hiccups which Lance can live with as it's all for helping his boyfriend get back to himself and that all the insensitive he needs.

* * *

"Is everything all right? We heard yelling." Allura looks around the dimmed lounge room in confusion. 

"We're all good." Pidge waves them in and looking around they all look fine, except Coran and Shiro, who seems to be silently stewing over something.

"What's going on?" Lance asks as he walks into the room still looking around.

He had just finished cleaning up after two hours of sword and gladiator training and was probably either going to finish a few reports he needed to do or one of his books. And at that point the book was winning until Allura busted into his room saying she couldn't find anyone. Lance was more surprised to see Allura, since she was disappearing in and out working on the ships with Lotor more and more. Taking this as a moment to spend time with her with everything that was going on they used the time they were looking to talk about what had been happening. What they didn't expect to hear was their friends screaming like a monster from the abyss of space was coming to get them.   
  
"We're playing Monsters and Mana." Coran perks up, his anger from earlier gone.

"Monsters and huh?"  
  
"It's a game." Coran smiles wildly as he brandishes a thick book that has Lance squatting down to eye it like one of his horrid chemistry textbooks from long ago.

Having flashbacks to those quintants Lance seems skeptical, "I don't know. How can a game that needs a book be fun?"  
  
"You ought to read it and find out."

Lance glares at it for good measure, "Nah." 

"Oh come on. I've never complained about your hyper-interactive games." Coran states with a grin causing Lance to stares at him in disbelief before turning to Allura who wears the same unconvinced look on her face at the lie as well.

"Yes you did," Lance accuses him, "You yelled at the screen pad when you couldn't shoot the Fray'ner. And at the dance pad when you tried to do a cross over and twisted your ankle."   
  
"It was faulty and you know it," Coran humphs as he looks away before he's promoting his book game again, "But this is much better, which is why I've been playing Monsters and Mana since I was a boy. My bandmates and I, the Pirate Polychoral, used to play it all the time. I was always the Lore Master."

Seeing that Coran was going to ignore how they destroyed him in every game when they were little Allura walks around to take a seat and opts for peace, "How do you play?"  
  
"Okay, so each person creates a fantastical character. The character is represented by a figurine on this holo-map to help them track their action. But the real fun happens in the mind. Each player gets a turn, and every turn they say what they want to do. The Lore Master, me, knows the difficulty of the task. The person must roll a 20-sided die to see if they can accomplish their action." 

"A 20-sided dice?! Why so many sides?" Lance looks over to the die sitting in front of Coran.

"There's a variety of different actions that can be taken Lance. Do you want to play?"  
  
"Not to sound pretentious, but don't you have things to do? Like, I don't know, universe-defending stuff?" Lance asks, knowing full well he wasn't going to be doing any of that.  
  
"Hunk and I ran into a snag upgrading the Castle's shields. We're running a diagnostic, but all we can do is wait."

"I'm following your advice and trying to take a mental break," Shiro smiles up at him, "Besides we've been going really hard lately."  
  
"Hmm, well I guess I'll play. I already worked out so I guess I don't have anything going on." Lance shrugs, not against spending time with everyone, even if it is a book game and takes a seat next to his sister.

"Good. Then you can watch Thatch." Shiro says quickly as he picks up the kittekirri and pass her across the table to Lance. With a slight smile and a look of confusion Lance reaches across the table for the small pet.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"She was playing chase with the mice and ran over Shiro in the game and he died." Hunk chuckles as Shiro scowls at the memory.  
  
Not even trying to stop the laughter that tumbles out of his mouth he brings Thatchia to eye level and coos, "Such a fearsome fluff."

"Do not coddle her." Shiro points at them and tries to sound intimidating, but chuckles break out throughout his sentence.

Lance glance at her and then stares straight back at Shiro in defiance as he brings Thatchia to his cheek and nuzzles at her getting a joyful purr and wiggle that gets everyone to laugh.

"I'll play too. Lotor's busy handling his imperial responsibilities, and I'm at an impasse with the comet ship. Plus, it sounds fun." Allura agrees as she settles back into the couch's cushions.

"Great! You'll love this. Create your characters with the interface loaded onto these. It will keep track of your stats."

Taking the time to go through the list of characters as Coran and Shiro argue about him becoming a Paladin again Lance sees he can mix and match class, but the moment he sees hybrids and clicks on it he knows what he's going to do.

_Oh this is going to be good._

Placing the coin sized bit of smart metal on the bottom of the pad his figurine molds into his half-person half-cat ninja assassin character, which he hides on his lap until he can make an appearance. When both of them nod to Coran and send him their stats he begins the game.  
  
"Now it's time to begin the heroes' journey. Our intrepid trio walks a clear path through the Fewnstern Woods on a bright sunny day. All seems well when – Oh no! – A Figgalsprout is silently slinking up behind them! Allura shall you attack and save these innocent passerbys or will you leave them to their doom as the single touch of a Figgalsprout will automatically cause them to grow into plants."

"Oh roll to attack of course." And with a determine grin shakes the die hard and toss it onto the table landing on 15, "Ah! I pull back my bow leveling it at the sprout's head and shoot it just past the group." Allura says as she even mines out the perfect arch pose.

"Watch out!" Pidge calls as the board makes the noise of a bowstring being pulled tight and then released. The 15 had given her enough to shoot the sprout dealing it enough damage to kill it and apparently turn it into a hefty bag of coins.

"Yes!" She exclaims, "I want to roll again for special entrance?"

"Catching on quickly. Okay roll."

Rolling a 6 Allura can't stick the landing and it gives herself 3 points of damage.

"Oh damage on landing." Coran tells her so Allura can play along.

"Ow. I'm the mystical archer Valayun, searching for the rune stone of Lapham," Allura says serious enough before asking excitedly, "What quest are you on?" 

"Block's town was turned to stone by an evil wizard. We tracked him down through his special crystals." Pidge tells her with a tone of equal solemnity.

"As they discuss their traveling plans a quick shadow moves through the shade of the large elderly trees, unknown to them." Coran states with a low tone, setting the stage for Lance's entrance.

"Roll for special entrance." 

"Aaanndd it's a 14, so smoke bomb or body replacement technique."

"Smoke bomb!"

The sound of a faint bomb goes off from the board next to Hunk's piece and he plays along gasping and pointing to him, "Hey, hey-hey, hey! - Whoa! Where'd you come from?" 

Leaning his left arm across the table like a deviant Lance deepens his voice for an air of mystery and begins his intro, "The name's Pike. I was goin' to rob you clod—"

"Pike? Really?" Shiro interrupts with a lopsided smirk on his face.

"Sweetstar. You're a Paladin. Again." Lance smiles back dangerously as Shiro makes fun of the play on his nickname.

"And you're a thief. I didn't realizes we were naming the obvious."

"I'm not! I'm a ninja assassin," Lance defends himself, "The thieving just comes as a side job. Maybe I just like the shiner finer things." 

"Other people's."

"You should have challenged yourself and been a rogue or a mercenary. You'd have way more fun, plus, you could smolder a bit as you play. Give me something to look forward to."

"I don't do —"

"Uh actually you do," Lance easily talks over him smirking, "When something bad is on the screen and you're telling us that we're the Paladins of Voltron and defenders of the universe, bond by honor and all that stuff," Everyone at the table nods in agreement making the grin on his lips grow wider and smugger, "Don't deny it, its sexy." 

"Well someone needs to keep the peace and protect the order of things. And stop little kittens from taking what's not theirs."

"Guess I'll have to change your mind. Maybe I'll have to steal your heart to wipe that smug look off your face."

"Hard to steal something already in your possession."

"Oh. My. _Fucking_. God!" Pidge yells as she smacks the table with her fists, "We are trying to play a game, not watch our regularly scheduled program of 'Shiro loves Lance!' " 

Shiro is good enough to look subdued, but Lance just smiles innocently at the growling dwarf without any shame.

"Personally call it 'My boyfriend is out of this world' or 'The Paladin and The Prince'." Hunk adds to the conversation.

"Ohhh! I like that second one." Lance tells him.

"Right!"

" _Hunk_."

"Right."

Leaning back into the cushions Lance gets back into the game, which at no point has Coran called them to get back to. This might not be all that bad if funny tangents like this can happen in between.

"So I was going to rob you yadda-yadda-yadda. What's everyone doing again?" Lance says as he pets Thatchia.

Pidge reminds him they need to save Block's village and stop the wizard who did it.

"Cool. Villages always pay more," Lance says calmly before leaning onto the table again and flashing Shiro a starry-eyed gaze, " _So_  tall, handsome, and mysterious what's your story?" He asks coquettishly. 

"No!" Pidge, Hunk, and Coran all yell, but Shiro just smiles unassumingly before launching into a complex backstory for his little figurine – that has the same name – and has Lance smiling for the whole time as he watches his adorable dork of a Paladin have fun.

And as Coran told him it was super fun. Not only the gameplay, but the ridiculous conversations they had in between moments about decisions they made. Coran's masterful description of the surroundings and of all their actions made the quest seem to just come alive in a brilliant way. He kept in character as Lore Master even when he got testy from Shiro's unwillingness to change after another death in the caves. And when he's struck down again Shiro comes back as Gyro – which he uses a deeper voice – claiming to be Shiro's twin. Sparing a quick glance to Shiro Lance gets a soft grin that tells him who he was thinking of at the time of his choice, playing for another part of himself. They successfully defeat Darkin and in doing so it help Hunk and Pidge figure out how to upgrade the shields, but then sadly Lotor calls Allura about being able to test the comet ship. So Lance has to watch her leave, still uneasy about her and the Galra emperor's closeness.

Lance is about to leave as well until he hears the soft puff of someone sitting down next to him and turning around sees Shiro.With Thatchia and the mice running away a long time ago he has the space for Shiro to sit next to him, meaning playing another round won't be bad at all. They start the next quest to find Dakin's master and avenge Shiro's master and as Shiro says he'll be a Paladin again Lance can't help but to play into the self-insert that he started and having a bit of fun with it.

"I didn't think he would throw us out for that." Lance tries to not laugh at how Coran had physically pushed the two of them out of the lounge.

"I think he snapped when you suggested that you should have a blue [shamdon ](https://huxleypaleozoo.weebly.com/smilodon.html)follow you around." Shiro suggests with a raised eyebrow.

"What? I am a wealthy eccentric elf prince," Lance grins as he walks down the hall with a bit of pep in his step, "I could totally beg to have a pet shamdon. Plus, they would be a perfect line of defense for any royal to have." 

He hadn't meant for it to get out control, but it was too much fun playing as himself only a bit more obnoxious. And as Shiro got into it too they apparently pushed Coran over the edge. Shiro looks down at him with a look before he's rolling his eyes and chuckling too.

"Ha, very true."

"Just don't tell Blue, she'll think she getting replaced."

"Your secret is safe with me."

They continue down the hall without any destination in mind letting the quietness surround them in a spell of calm. Lance lets his mind drift and thinks about how much had happened in a year and a half. Their new purpose, their lost, the friends made, the enemies gained, and overall the team becoming the family they couldn't save. How through everything they had each other and how Lance finally found love and it seemed like nothing in time or space could separate them. Like the universe approved of them. So wrapped up in his thoughts Lance almost misses how Shiro isn't by his side anymore until he sees him in his peripheral as he turns the corner. Turning back he's stopped in front of one of the elevator, glaring it down.

"Shiro?"

"I want to do that last bit," He says suddenly, the meaning behind it making the hall's quietness tense, "I–I don't want to be..... be partial anymore." He turns to him with a gaze of misery.

Lance had only done three small sessions since the first time because Shiro was concern about his health, but know it seems he didn't want to be selfish either.

"I'm sorry. If you don't want t—"

"Shiro," Walking over Lance take his hand his and smiles widely at him, "Of course I will. You didn't need to selfless in this."

"I didn't want to seem – well it doesn't matter now."

"No, it doesn't." And pressing the button the elevator opens and takes them to highest point it could before they take another elevator to the Black Lion's bay. 

As Lance performs what he did the last four time he realizes that whatever he took the first time was nothing compare to the heaviness of the energy he took now.

_I must had only done a quarter the first time. This has be more than half._

And as he left the space between the real world and the astral plane Lance knows that he has all of Shiro's being and that he won't be able to hold this for long. Thankfully Shiro is nearby and Lance can easily focus on the transfer instead of trying to deal with other basic functions. Its long and difficult as Lance almost slips up twice with his magic trying to push the foreign element out, but he finally finishes only for the connection to break this time feeling like he had his head smashed into bricks more than a couple times.

He notices over the thumping of his head and now the frigidity of his whole body that his knees are touching the ground and he's sitting on his legs in a painful way.

"Lance!"

Looking up the lights above him burn his eyes and the ambient sound is too much the buzzing stinging at his ears, but he can finally make out the silhouette standing over him.

"Shiro?" His own voice piercing to his ears as well.

"Hey there sharpshooter." Shiro whispers as he pulls him up.

"You're —"

"I'm all here."

_He did it._

And he lets the darkness take him.

 

The final transition takes longer than the first one and when its done it feels like everything is right with the universe. Kuro and he become fully Takashi and he can truly feel, see, and use all his other senses with such clarity it overwhelming. He feels confident in him being himself and now knows a serenity he hasn't had in about the three years since this all started. But being able to celebrate has to wait as the sound of electricity pops around Lance as he falls to the ground too fast for Shiro to catch. Luckily he lands on his knees and doesn't hit his head. But when he opens his eyes they still glow a blinding white blue. As he picks him up Lance can barely ask if it worked and after he tell him 'yes' he passes out.

This was exactly what Shiro was afraid of and all the good feelings he was having soured quickly as he runs to the elevator and back to the lounge. He was still getting everything put away from Monsters and Mana and was fairly shocked when Shiro came in carrying the prince. Giving him an abridge version of how Lance was talking to Black, was glowing, and then looked at him with white blue colored eyes Coran goes from extremely worried to annoyed amusement. Sighing Coran tells him something similar has happened before and that rest is all Lance needs and he shouldn't worry too much. They take Lance to his room and get him tucked into bed before everything goes dark for him as well.

His essence, while recognizing his body, was still unstable from it being without a one for so long and was fight against him. Shiro had collapsed and stopped breathing the moment stepped back from the bed frightening Coran and then spurring him into action as he does chest compression to save his life. The moment he's breathing Coran is lugging the leader of Voltron to the medbay and calling for Allura, Hunk, and Pidge. Hunk and Pidge come to help get him into a pod and Allura arrives just after and is told about Lance as well. They all wait a nerve wrecking four hours before Shiro's vitals level out, but the joy of him being okay is still lined with the undercurrent of worry about what happened. 

* * *

Shiro blinks and he sees that his surroundings are that of an empty medbay.

He blinks again and he's in a hallway. The hallway to the royal quarter.

Lance.

The rest of the sleepiness falls off Shiro as he hurries to the room trying to recall what happened. He's fairly sure Lance is okay and wonders what's causing the leftover ache in his chest, the uncertainty or something else since he did wake up in a healing pod. Stopping in front, he palms the button to open the door and walks into the darken bedroom. The lack of mellowed light coming from the drapes tells Shiro Lance has been sleep for a very long time. Quietly stepping over to the right side of the bed and squinting at the slight figure under the covers Shiro still can't tell. So lightly tapping one of the lamps on the vanity the room is bathed in a soft golden light and Shiro can see Lance sleeping peacefully.

"Thank goodness." Sighing in relief that Lance wasn't any worse for wear just exhausted.

He turns around to turn off the light only to hear a quiet voice.

"Shiro?"

Looking back, Lance eyes were still hazy with sleep, but were wide with some alertness. Going back and bending over the bed Shiro watches as this cosmic angel rolls over and peers up at him eyes shining and smiling wide as he sits down next to Lance.

"Yeah. It's me."

"Hmm, I love you."

Even though Shiro knew that Lance did hearing it was something entirely different. Something so much more beautiful.

"Said... said to say, say when you're out. You're out. I love you." Lance says drowsily as he leans up.

Somehow between one second and the next all he's really aware of is how Lance’s lips are moving over his own or how he nips at his jawline and throat, sighing out soft breaths as he lets a litany of 'I love you's' pass his lips as his hands start to drag through Shiro’s hair with care. He's very aware of the weight of Lance’s thighs on either side of his lap and breathless gasps as Shiro finds himself sliding his own fingers under the hem of Lance's night shirt. The overwhelming joy of being able to truly hold Lance again was indescribable. His bare hands able to feel how soft, how strong, how slender Lance was and it feel like Shiro’s hands were far too big as they sit on his waist almost encircling it. Titling his head down they miss each other's lips, but just the sensation of soft skin against his and he can't keep the soft groan from his escaping him. Nuzzling down Lance's cheek he comes to his neck and mouthing down it with sweet kisses and the loveliest and most innocent of intents to smother him with love. Because he can and this wonderful person who selflessly loves him back even after everything. Lance deserves it all.

Then the skin beneath his lips and the weight on his lap is gone, his head is no longer swimming, but as he opens his eyes he doesn't come to see Lance’s flushed face or dazzling eyes, but the furiously twisted up face of Coran as he holds a wobbly prince who is smiling widely and lopsided.

"Look Coran. Shiro's back." Lance slurs as he leans heavily onto Coran's shoulder.

"Yes I see." Comes the reply steeped in anger and protectiveness.

Shiro knows that the best course of action is to get up and leave the room before he's forcefully removed. Getting up and standing by the door he watches as Coran tucks Lance back in and how he tells the sleeply prince that he can see Shiro later. Turning off the light the drapes faintly glow again and allow Shiro to see Coran coming at him fast.

"What was that?!" Coran asks in a harsh whisper as soon as they leave the room.

"I—"

"No! I will tell you right now while I am pleased that you and the Prince have begun courting it does not allow for this type of behavior!" Coran cuts him off and continues on with his protective speech.

"I know tha—"

"Futhermore I expect better from you."

"Coran I promise nothing was going to happen," Shiro finally says, but with the advisor's skeptical look Shiro continues his case.

"Honesty Coran. I ..... it's been a rough couple of weeks – years – and I guess I just needed to know he was okay and that I could still feel and and I don't know, but it wasn't anything else."

Looking to him pleadingly Coran looks back with a critical eye before dropping his crossed arms and shaking his head.

"I know. I believe you. Sorry to go off on you like that. They're just very special to me." He tells him and Shiro completely understands.

"I know."

"Come on then," He says chipper, "Let's go make sure your ribs healed correctly."

"My ribs?"

As they walk back to the medbay Coran tell Shiro about his sudden collapse and how it had been a day and a half since it happened. With a full checkup and nothing at all out of line Shiro was give a clean bill of health and sent on his way. Drained from the pod's healing he finds himself at the kitchen where Hunk and Pidge are making cookies with the mice and Thatchia eating some of the first batch. Greeting them he picks up Thatchia and scratches behind her ears  reveling in being able to feel the soft fur, her smooth skin under it, and the vibrations from her happy purrs. So caught up in his senses again it takes Pidge poking him in his arm to look over at them.

"Hey Shiro? You alright?" She asks concerned.

But for once he could say with absolute certainty, "Yeah. I'm alright. Better than I've been in ages."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Space Dad is back!!!!! Yeah!!! \\(＞v＜)/
> 
> So in my spin Shiro and Kuro get their 'you're me, I'm you' moment and Shiro tells Kuro he's happy that he was able to take care of his friends when he couldn't and makes sure that Kuro doesn't think of himself as an imposter. And then Kuro becomes Shiro instead of wiped from existence.  
> #AllShirosareprecious


	12. Wool over our eyes was so clear we didn't even now

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The ship Lotor and Allura worked so hard on is finally ready, but while it's maiden voyage goes well the Castle gets some familiar and unfamiliar guests that shed more darkness than light on the Galra Prince.

"Umph!" Shiro stumbles forward with the force that smacks into his waist.

While the hug was not anticipated, it was not unwelcome. Turning around Shiro wraps his arms around Lance in return. This was the first time in three days that he was seeing his boyfriend since he accidentally put him into a temporary coma. 

"Hey, Good morning to you too. How are you?" 

"I want to just bury us in my covers and never leave." Lance mutters into the side of Shiro's neck and he nods his head lightly in agreement.

"I would like that too, but we have to be there to watch the Sincline ship's maiden voyage." Shiro reminds him.

"Still a stupid name for a ship," Lance grumbles as he sags against him before standing up straight, "Let's go."

Taking his hand Lance seems to brighten a bit as they continue their way to the bridge.

"How are you feeling – overall?" Lance turns to look him over with a careful eye.

"Good. Nothing seems to be wrong now, just sometimes my senses are a little too tuned. Like my ears will feel like they popped or everything I touch is the softest or roughest thing I've ever touched. It's not too bad and I'm sure it will calm down in the next weeks."

Smiling up at him Lance asks the next question Shiro had been think about, "That's good. Whe-when do you want to tell them?"

Shiro knew he had time if he didn't want to tell them yet. He still had about two-ish weeks before the hair dye started to go. After the third time he told Lance to just dye all his hair to be safe in case they miss a spot later. It was actually a good idea because who knows how much of his hair is white now and if they didn't then everyone would have know something was up when his hair turned white while in the healing pod.

"The dye won't start going for a couples of days' yet, but I don't want to forget about it so I was thinking after the run today." Shiro tells him, but looking over he can tell Lance is more concern about something else, "How do you feel about this?"

The deep sigh that leaves Lance's lips is so filled with exhaustion and turmoil that Shiro is sure he doesn't need to put it into words.

"I'm not sure. It's – in theory – would be a good idea and maybe – eventually – the empire can possibly co-exist with the rest of the universe, but I'm not so naive to think that there won't be other's like Sendak who keep fighting with no purpose."

"True, but they may be easier to bring down with the new rule as people will see they are out of date."

"One can only hope," Lance shrugs haphazardly, "What I'm mostly worried about is the field doing the damage." He admits as he looks away.

Stopping Shiro turns to Lance as he lets go of his hand to wrap it around his middle, reaching out and gently turning his face to him, Shiro has Lance direct his sullen eyes to him.

"Lance. Zarkon fell to his own evil instincts that were revealed by the quintessence field. They were was always there." Shiro says sternly, but gazes at him with concern.

"And he made fools of all of us." Lance whispers somberly. 

"It's no ones' fault."

"I keep telling myself that." Lance grimaces before walking to the bridge alone leaving Shiro to watch him walk away with concern about everything that would happen today.

 

"Hold on. How do we know for sure?" Lance asks as he steps forward.

Surprises were not what he need right now with Allura in a different space and him worrying so much that he was wound tighter than an engine coil.

"I don't have time for this. We need to stop Lotor. He's been lying to all of us," Keith barks at him, confirm in Lance's mind that this slightly taller longer hair Human was indeed Keith. But then his whole postures softens as he says, "Lance there's someone important that you need to see. So just be ready for that."

"Lying about?" Shiro asks while Lance thinks of who Keith would need him to meet after his three pheob long mission.

"Everything." Comes an angry female voice and as Lance looks over the air is knocked out of him and his ability to process this seems to stall.

He can hear the others asking questions, but Lance can only focus on walking over cautiously as he stares at her like a rare creature, and in his eyes she is. 

"You're — you're Altean. But how — I mean you're real. Right? I'm not going insane or delusional. You're really real?" He asks her and himself.

"Oh great ancients you're —" And then dropping into a full kneel the blonde quietly asks, "Can it be? When Keith said – I did think it could be?"

"Yes. I am Prince A'lanor of Altea. Son of King Alfor and Queen Irriva. Please rise." Lance address her as calmly as he could, not letting the words get caught in his burning throat.

She does rise and looks to him in wonder, "I've heard of you. And your white hair and circlet proves who you say you are. At least as a legend."

"White hair?" Hunk asks.

"Only those of royal blood and similar standing have white hair." Lance says hollowly as he takes in how he's standing across from another Altean! In this reality!

"What is this legend?" Pidge questions.

And that has Lance curious too because a myth or legend required more than one person and where ever she is from there must be more, but he doesn't dare to hope in case he's wrong.

"One that spoke of King Alfor trying to protect us and failing. That his two children, our true royalty, were hidden away — lost to the stars. How you were still being searched for in hopes of reuniting the whole of Alteans and help develop a new age."

"Tell me everything." Lance asks, borderline demanding her.

But before she can say anything Keith lays a hand on his shoulder, turning him around, "After we get to Lotor." 

"We can't get to him," Pidge tells him, "He just entered the quintessence field with Allura."

"We've traveled through realities before. Can't we fly in there and attack?

"She said Allura is with him. My sister!" Lance stresses as glares at Keith.

"Why are we even attacking? " Hunk brings up and in all the ensuing weirdness of the situation Lance had forget to even ask why.

"Okay! Everyone calm down," Shiro tries to address them all in a soothing tone before looking to the other Black Paladin, "Keith I think we're going to need more of an explanation."

He agrees and they all make their way to bridge where Keith explains his mission and how the Galra with him is a Blade, but not just any Blade — his mother. But really the eyes should've given it away.

"So why are we attacking Lotor?" Hunk questions again.

"And how did you find this Altean?" Coran tacks on as he continues to gaze at the blonde in concern.

"Yes. And also that." Hunk adds sheepishly.

Stepping forward just a bit Lance asks her gently, "What's your name?"

"My name is Romelle. I come from a planet where there are thousands of Alteans. We have lived there since the war with Zarkon began." She says gravelly.

The thought that there were Alteans that survived – that thrived – in the midst of all this destruction, it didn't seem possible that something like this could be true. How did they not stumble upon them in all this time?

"What? That's impossible. Altea was destroy. Allura, A'lanor, and I are all that is left." Coran voice wobbles and Lance knew he was close to tears, but they needed to stick this out.

Romelle shakes her head 'no' sadly as she continues, "Every Altean child knows the story of how Lotor saved us from destruction. And how he was going to find our lost Princess and Prince. Ha, that was probably to keep the first colonists happy, but now everyone treats it like a story tale." 

She tells her tale and as good as it seems now Keith's calm declaration that Lotor needed to be stop caught Lance more than anything. He would loudly complain and yell if he wasn't thinking, but when Keith was cool like this it meant something big. Soon the tale does turn for the worst as Romelle recounts how Lotor was blindly followed – serendipitously by the race he seemed to care about above all others – and tells them about losing her parents, then her friends, and finally her brother, Bandor, when they are moved to another colony. But the ominousness of the 'no contact' rule when they were in the Quantum Abyss was too suspicious to be good. It was a mostly ignored area of space for the fear of unknown gravitational waves and space-time drop off that reeked havoc on the system. When she tell them how she found her brother crashed, sick, and dying Lance has to clench his hands into fists and bit the inside of his mouth to stop himself from tearing up or from throwing a punch at the wall and going after Lotor himself. The feeling of red hot rage only gets worst when Romelle reveals the secret of the second colony.

"He did what?! Why?" Lance tries to constrain his screams of anger.

"To harvest your people natural quintessences and your connection to it, to test newer weapons and other experiments." Krolia explains looking over apologetically. 

Looking to Romelle she nods silently as tears collect in her eyes and Lance stumbles back and shakes in rage at what she gone through, what all his people are going through because they were lulled into a sense of security by, by, by this lunatic!

"Lance, do you need to sit down?" Shiro's hand places his hand on his shoulder in comfort, but it does nothing more than stop the shaking as he brings his thoughts together.

"No. I'm – I'm fine." 

_Because when I get my hands on Lotor he's finished!_

"This – this is – is horrifying." Coran whispers terrified and Lance turns around to see the others as sickened as he was.

"All this time. I can't believe he fooled us." Pidge scowls at the ground, her glasses obscuring her likely sullen eyes.

"He's a monster." Keith says with finality and it is definitely something they can agree on.

Turning back to her Lance walks up and takes Romelle's hands in his, "Romelle. I will do everything in my power to free our people. I won't let them be deceived any longer."

"Thank you Prince A'lanor. I trust your promise." She says with a watery smile as she reaches up to wipe away the unshed tears.

Before anything else could be said the Castle is indicating the return of the comet ship. Romelle lashes out to shot, but Shiro backs him and Coran up that his sister's safety was priority one and anything after came second. Lance took it as him being able to dispose of Lotor, damn the consequences. They all watch with baited breath as Lotor helps Allura out of the ship and they share a sweet moment that is nauseating to watch Lance starts itching for his bayard more and more. But when he has the audacity to kiss his sister Lance can't take it. Armed with the sword in a matter of ticks he is rushing for the door only to be held back by Keith and his path blocked by Shiro.

"Get out of the way or I _will_ move you." He snarls at Shiro, because right now anyone stopping him is his enemy, even his boyfriend.

"No." Shiro tells him defiantly.

"Lance you need to calm down." Keith says as pulls back on him.

He doesn't budge, but the words make him spin around anyway.

"Calm down? You want me to calm down!" 

"Yes," Keith tells him softly shocking Lance with his quietness, "If you go in there, sword swinging, not only will you get hurt because you'll be to made to focus, but Allura could get hurt too."

Lance wants to argue back, but he can't because Keith actually has a great point.

Storing his bayard he sneers at him, "Damn it! Why do you have to be right."

So they wait impatiently for his sister and the traitor as they stand there resolutely in front of the Teludav platform.

"What's going on?" Allura looks around with confusion and mild disappointment in his and Coran's direction.

"Allura. Step away." Lance tells her calmly as he draws his blaster and Krolia and Keith block his exit.

"Lance what are you doing?" Allura growls as she stands in front of the prince, protecting him.

"Lotor is a monster and has been harvesting Altean quintessence for generations!"

Turning to Romelle she gasps in shock, "An Altean!" 

"You killed my brother and thousands of others!"

"Allura step away from him now." Lance repeats himself as his grip on the blaster tightens.

Nothing specific is said, but the vagueness and attempts of turning the narrative to try and seem redeemable has Lotor incriminating himself more and almost has Lance shooting him – with a stun shot, but it would be on the highest setting. But Allura takes care of that as Lotor walks closer and reaches for her hand. Everyone levels their weapons at him only for Allura to grab Lotor's arm and to throw him over her shoulder with so much force he bounces twice before laying on the floor motionless. The tense moment dissipates with only a few ticks of calm before the interior alarm is going off.

"The hangar's been breached!" Coran yells as he runs to the main control panel.

"It's Lotor's troops. They're stealing the ships!" Hunk calls out in a panic.

"Get to the han— ARUGH!" Screaming Shiro drops to the floor clutching his head and groaning and grunting in pain.

Lance watches as this happens and he wants to desperately stop his pain, but instead snaps into second-in-command mode. Everything needs to be safe before they can do anything to help Shiro.

"Hunk stay with Shiro. Coran try to get those doors closed. Pidge, Krolia, Keith. Stop those ships. Allura and I will secure Lotor." Lance calls out and in ticks they're all nodding and breaking off for their tasks.

But before Lance could even step away he heard a name being whispered and a horrible chill runs down his spine. Running over to his downed boyfriend he calls out a new set of orders to those left on the bridge.

"Change of plans! Hunk help Allura with Lotor I need to help Shiro."

"What?"

"Just do it!"

And with that Hunk gets up from his crouch near Shiro and walks over to Lotor. Lance bends down and places his hands over Shiro's and like he did one year ago follows the strand of malicious intent that grows the closer he gets, but this time he isn't going to let her get the better of him or anyone else. When Shiro whispered out her name Lance realized that the clones weren't suppose to just be weapons, but spies too, and right now she was trying to get Shiro to act as one of them.

"Not this time Witch." He whispers as he gathers more of his magic as he comes face to face with her.

The look of surprise on Haggar's face is something he'll treasure as he swipes at the connection, dissolving and destroying it completely before easily retreating only hearing her nasty screams of defeat. As he leans back Shiro glance up at him in shock and relief, before they're both turning to a scream.

It was Romelle.

Quickly scanning the rest of the room they see Allura, Hunk, and Coran are all laid out on the deck leaving her defenseless against an encroaching Lotor.

"You have ruined everything! For not only me, but everyone else!" He snarls at her.

"Good!" She shouts in fear and courage, "And I would do it again."

Lotor stills for only a tick before raising his sword, "Then you'll die with some honor."

The anger on his face as Lance slides effortless in between the two to block the sword with his shield puts the Galra prince off-guard enough for Shiro to deliver a bruising punch to the side of his face. Lotor stumbles back and glares at them before running around them and off the bridge. Shiro immediately gives chase and only glances back with a questioning look.

"I'll catch up!" And Lance watches as Shiro continues after their fugitive.

"Are you okay?" He turns to Romelle first.

"I was going to die, but then I didn't so, yes?" She answers with a question, likely in shock of what happened or the display of violence. Maybe both.

"Good, can you check on everyone else?"

She blinks at him for a bit before a wide and shaky smile takes over her lips, "Yes! I'm a status three nurse." She tells him and jogs over to Coran and Hunk.

With Humans and Alteans being similar in some respects he knew they were safe in her hands. Quickly running off the bridge Lance get halfway to the smaller hanger bay when he sees Shiro rolling to his knees and bracing himself with only one arm. His Galra arm, cut just above the elbow, is laying on the other side of the hall lightly sparking.

"Shiro!"

But leaning back on his knees he raises his left hand out and with a furious look nods his head back and in the direction Lotor took, "I'm not bleeding. Go after him."

And as much as he doesn't want to leave him Lance takes off after Lotor. Calling Pidge so she knows what's coming her way he is met with a sound he doesn't like.

"I'm busy!"

"We have a problem!" He yells over the shots being fired.

"What!"

"Lotor got away!"

_"What!"_

"He's coming towards you!" And closes the channel as he runs faster.

Getting to the last corner he rounds it in enough time to see Krolia tackling Pidge to the ground and out of the way of a singular shot that burns through the floor where she was standing. Sliding to a stop he sees the last ship flying out of the bay and he knows they aren't going to leave quietly.

"I got him! And he still got away!" Pidge screams frustrated as she punches the floor.

Looking to Krolia she tells him what she meant, "She was able to hit him with the end of her stinger, but the command pod he jumped into closed on it so she had to revert the weapon back or be dragged into space."

"Or shot!" She snarls.

"Everyone get to your Lions! Keith get to Black, they're coming around to attack!" Shiro voice commands over the Castle's PA system.

Keith barely gets to voice a 'why' before Lance is cutting him off as he runs after Pidge, who is already booking down the opposite hall, "He got his arm cut off!"

"What!"

They get to their Lions and see Hunk and Allura already getting batted around or dodging blasts and quickly form Voltron only to be out of their depth at the speed of the ships and the strength as well. The blast they hit them with is crushing and nothing like Lance has ever felt. And to make matter worse they watch as a purple Teludav portal opens up, clearly somehow Haggar gained the knowledge to do so, but how is anyone's guess. With them gone there is nothing left to do but reconvene and go over what they know so they can make their next move. 

"Update." Shiro asks ten doboshes after they return to the bridge, still commanding the presence of the bridge regardless of his missing limb.

"The Castle is in tip top shape despite the fire shots in the hanger bay. It didn't hit anything important." Coran tells him over the screen from where he was near the hanger door. 

"All the Lions are in their hangars and their power cores appear to be recharging. Structurally speaking, the Lions are at about 60%. Whatever those ships hit them with, really did some damage," Pidge speaks up as she goes for the Lions' schematics with a grim look, "In an hour they should be completely recharged and the Lions' repair systems should be around 80%."

"Good. We'll leave then. Princess, any luck yet?"

"No. I'm afraid not Shiro. I fear that the wormhole may have deposited them beyond my ability's reach," Allura sighs as she steps back from the Teludav post, "Lance, you would be more likely to find her. You were always better at this."

Lance frowns at the wording, but gets up onto the platform and in five doboshes he knows where Haggar and Lotor are and it brings back horrible memories.

"On the far side of the Thizonian system."

"Okay, so are we just going in guns blazing and fighting them now? I'm pretty sure there won't be just one cruiser and now there are three Sincline ships which all, I remind you, pack a punch." Hunk brings up how badly they did the first and second times against the ships.

"The yellow Paladin is right. If Haggar is still serious enough to have a fleet at her disposal then we have more than just Lotor to worry about." Krolia reminds them.

"We need to go about this systematically. Lotor is our first concern and then Haggar second. So what do we know?" Shiro asks the team.

"Accessing the quintessence field has been Lotor's singular drive for millennia," Allura speaks up with a low tone, "He wants to harness the power for himself and no other. We need to take that away from him."

"We're destroying the gate." Keith summarizes and Allura nods.

"The Castle should be enough as the Lions aren't ready to form Voltron."

"And after that?" Keith questions.

"After that we take the fight to them and focus our first and most brutal attack on the cruiser with the highest quintessence level. The Sincline will have a deposit of it from the quintessence field." Allura states coolly.

"If we're fast enough to destroy the cruiser, we destroy the ships. Good plan Princess." Krolia commends her.

"Gate. Tracking. The Lions. Is there anything else?" Shiro asks as he looks around the bridge. At the resounding 'no' Shiro turns around to face the screens, "Alright team we have an hour cool down. Be ready to leave at ten hundred hours. Coran, we'll need you to bring us around to fire on the gate."

"Right away number one." And the screen goes dark.

Pidge and Hunk had already left with a curious Romelle in tow and Lance wanted to leave to find Allura who all but ran out the door the moment they were done making plans, but he needed to check on Shiro first.

"You okay?" Shiro asks before he could and it always surprised Lance how selfless he could be.

"You're missing your arm." Lance points archly out.

"An arm," He amends gruffly, "It wasn't..." But he trails off and neither of them need to finished that sentence.

"I'm fine, its Allura that -"

"Go talk to her we aren't setting off for another half-hour at least. She needs someone." Shiro tells him and leaning up for a quick goodbye kiss Lance leaves Shiro with his family while he looks for his.

He finds her sitting still in the lounge they always use, bent over with her elbows digging into her knees and her hand folded and hiding her mouth as she glared at the other side of the couch.

"Allura?"

The moment he calls out her name her hunched shoulders slump even more.

Walking around the floor to sit on the couch Lance fiddled with his fingers before scooting closer to her.

"I know this is an idiotic question, but..... How are you feeling?" He asks gingerly.

"I am royally pissed off."

Lance's eyes widen at her harsh words and voice. He can see her lips turn down more and her eyes glaring molten holes into the floor. But the way she holds herself Lance knows she has more to say so he waits.

"I'm – I'm just so angry! With myself, for allowing this to happen. How I allowed myself to play right into Lotor's hands, I let my want for peace blind me... and my want for an equal as well, and now I fear my actions may have placed us in this dire situation."

"You didn't put us in this situation." He says softly and reaches out for her, but her quick spin towards him had him freezing in mid-motion.

" _Didn't I!_  I helped him build and empower his ships, granting him unlimited access to the quintessence field. I trusted him Lance! I let my heart put the entire universe in jeopardy! How can the coalition ever be expected to trust me. How can you all trust me.....when I'm not sure I can trust myself?" She whispers as she pounds her fists into her legs.

Lance leans back and looks at the other wall as he tries to think of the most tactful way to get his point across, but decides saying what needs to be said is more important than tact.

"You know how you told me that Zarkon and Honvera's deaths weren't my fault, but I still think that and still think it's my fault the war started as well."

"I wish you wouldn't," She frowns as she turns her bereft gaze to his, "You —"

"Didn't cause it," He finishes morosely.

He doesn't think it all the time, but on really bad quintants or out of the blue he'll think about his last meeting with the royal couple and wishes he kept his mouth shut and to himself.

"Yeah it's – well – it's like that. You're pissed because you already knew you were taking a risk and it still backfired and now you're going to keep thinking this is all your fault, but it's not. It was a mistake and we were all fooled. You weren't the only who trusted Lotor. We all did and we don't blame you. All we can do now – all you can do now is get up and try to make it right," He tells her as he takes her hand and tightens his grip in solidarity, "I try to make things right in my mind by still fighting. Don't doubt yourself and keep fighting too."

The hug comes unexpectedly, but he didn't think she would be in the mood for one. Turning to sit sideways he hugs Allura closer her happy that she understands her importance.

"Thank you Lance."

"Anytime Lulu."

They end up sitting side by side just relaxing before Allura stutters out a chuckle that sounds more somber then joyous. When he looks down to his shoulder he see her turning her head up with a perturbed smirk.

"I was just thinking that, that family must be doing something right if they keep getting us or Alteans in general to like them."

Lance was surprised by the dark humor but finds himself chuckling too when he thought about it.

"Ha! You're kind of right."

"Its going to be okay. We're going to make this." Allura says changing the subject and Lance couldn't agree more as he pulls her into a tighter side hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like Romelle's character, she like Hunk, but just a tad more adventurous and I wanted to make her stand out more, so now she's a nurse - a trauma nurse - and I'm giving her a bigger role in the next story.


	13. We are the Defenders of the Universe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final showdown between the Royal Alteans and Galra is at hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait, but this chapter did not want to be written. But on the bright side you get a double update.

"We need to get you one Hunk." Pidge speak up after Keith tells them about how his space wolf came from a passing comet.

"What?" Hunk looks forward as Pidge turns around to kneel on her chair.

"A pet. You’re the only one without one."

"I am not," He denies before he gets quiet and blinks owlishly, "Right?"

"You kind of are Hunk." Shiro informs him sheepishly when he looks to him for help. 

Pidge laughs and leans her chin on her folded hands on the back of her chair, "I have Tesla and Faraday."

"Still on point names." Hunk points at her with a serious look.

"Thank you. Allura has the mice, Lance has a cow, Shiro has that moving dust bunny, and now Keith has his space wolf. Face it, you need a pet to be in our group."

Hunk's eyes start to water comically as he holds his hands up to his mouth like he was trying to stop himself from crying.

"Are – are you pushing me out of team Punk because I don’t have a pet?" He sniffles dramatically.

In a deep voice worthy of a video game villain Pidge says lowly, "You've greatly disappointing me Hunk. I have to."

"Noo!" Hunk cries out and falls to the floor among his friends laughter. 

"What is happening? Are all humans like this?" Romelle asks Coran as she watches the exchange.

"I think somewhat, but nothing like ours," He says proudly like the uncle he was, "They're one in a universe."

"But anyway let's get back to Keith. So let me get this straight," Hunk stands up and raises his hands as if he was trying to stop the information he heard previously so he could work through it. But Keith just smiles at his friend's wonder, "You basically spent two years in a place that to everyone else was three-ish months. Rode on a space whale there, found a comet wolf pup, and then completed your mission and got back in a week."

Keith gentle smile turns quite smug as he nods to what Hunk just said.

"Man. I've said it once and I'll say it again. You honestly have the coolest life." 

Keith just shrugs and leans more onto the side of Shiro's seat like he wasn't affected by the praise at all.

"And now you're twenty-one too." Hunk whines and Shiro finds himself quietly smiling at that because every teenager wants to be old enough to drink as soon as they're a sixteen.

With them still about thirty minutes out from Haggar's location and with a solid plan set Hunk had finally been the one to bring up Keith's changes. Shiro had only heard a bit of it before, more concern with his well-being at the time, but hearing the rest of the story was fantastic and basically on par for what they had been experiencing since they first got here. But now Shiro was more focus on the amicablebanter that filled the bridge again as they got briefly off topic talking about their alien pets. His little space family, as Hunk had called them, were back together again.

"Face it Hunk," Pidge laughs as she leans out of her seat and turns back towards him, "He's just always going to look and be a badass."

"Yes. I believe it's apart of what Pidge has said is his whole 'brooding loner thing'." Allura chimes in with a pleasant smile.

"Yup. Listen to the Princess."

"But its a big fat lie. You love having us around." Lance grins and Shiro guffaws at not only the truth, but the delivery of the statement.

Shiro can just see Keith turning around to side-eye him, like he was giving away a secret that everyone kind of knew.

"He does," Krolia's voice travels from the back of the bridge and has everyone looking back to where she's leaning against the wall playing with a small dagger, "He spoke endlessly about you all while we were getting to know each other."

"Ha! Proof!" Lance shouts from the platform with glee.

"Mom!"

_I really missed this._

"I see you're being easily embarrassed hasn't stopped." Shiro chuckles as he turns to look at Keith.

"You haven't changed much either." Keith sasses back.

"Oh you'd be surprised." 

"Really?" And with the skepticism in Keith's voice and look Shiro knew he had a narrow margin of convincing Keith of something else or telling the truth.

And taking longer to answer wasn't helping either as he looks to Lance and he gazes back with a soft look and a reassuring smile. Looking at everyone else who was now peering over in curiosity Shiro sighs to himself as he stands up from sitting on the the arm rest of the chair and turns to address everyone.

"I guess now is good a time as any to tell you all something very important."

"Tell us what?" Hunk asks with worriedly at his grave tone.

"Until four days ago I – this body was a clone's."

The ensuing cacophony is filled with questions ranging from 'how', 'is he okay', and 'how is he back'. A sharp whistles cuts it all off and has everyone looking to the front where Romelle is plugging her ears in discomfort and Coran is eyeing them all like a disappointed teacher.

"I'm sure if we all calm down Shiro will be able to tell us." Coran says calmly as he gives the floor back to him.

"Thank you," Shiro turns to everyone's questioning gaze and sighs before telling them, "There's no easy way to say this, but the fight with Zarkon's battlesuit killed me. But Black basically held onto my soul. If it wasn't for Keith and them searching, Black wouldn't have ever picked up the energy the clone that was giving off."

"But how was that possible for the clone to be registered as you – I mean nothing is exactly alike. Including clones." Pidge asks quietly.

Shiro looks to Lance, "Haggar design the clones. That's how Black found him." 

"Altean energy." Allura says softly and as Shiro nods she looks to Lance, "So you knew."

"Lance was the easiest to reach. Even when the Lions were being a bit stubborn about telling him. But when Black finally allowed him into astral plane we were able to get me out."

"What about the other clones Haggar made?" Keith asks seriously looking to both of them.

"Matt and I got.....you don't have to worry about them." Lance answers quietly.

"Matt?"

"And I purged all of the notes and plans too."

"When – how did you do all this?" Pidge asks.

"The unknown trip with Matt movements back." Allura gasps.

"Yeah. And it was one of the reasons I left you and Lotor to look through Haggar's lair, I needed to check the main system too."

"So how is Shiro _Shiro_ now?" Hunk looks to them.

"I transferred his essence into the clone. Like a conductor."

"Lance!" Allura whispers harshly, "Do you know how dangerous that is? If not done properly you could erase yourself! I know this from Oriande." 

"Yes I know. I found father's notes on it in the archives, but I was willing to risk it and it worked."

"You overextend yourself Prince and you could have caused a lot of damage to not only you, but Shiro too. He collapsed." Coran reprimand Lance, but he looks at his advisor unapologetically.

"That was my fault. I asked for him to do the rest. It was probably too much for me to take." Shiro turns to Coran trying to take the blame.

"Indeed that was very reckless and dangerous of both of you." Coran states with a reproached tone. 

"Yes. We could have helped." Allura tells him.

"I know, but someone would have likely shared with Lotor and at the time I still didn't trust him." And Lance's face scrunches up at speaking about their lying comrade.

"Yes...," Allura looks down at her folded hands, "it was probably for the best."

A hollow silence settles over the bridge at their trust being destroyed and the thought that their similar belief was twisted and betrayed by someone who they thought they were doing something better for the universe.

"Well it doesn't matter now," Keith says as he walks around and reaches over to lay his hand on Shiro's left shoulder, "because everything's fixed and you're fine."

And looking over into Keith's brotherly smile, then everyone else's caring look, and finally Lance's loving gaze he can truthfully say, "Yeah. I am."

Suddenly the undulating blues and whites of the wormhole are gone from outside of the glass and the area outside are filled with gas clouds of pinks, oranges, and greens as debris of all sizes coast slowly by. Turning to look straight ahead through the windows a small orange star rest far off, but not far enough that it did blind them if they looked at it.

"Ah the Lafuride Nebula. A great place to hide, buuut I don't see any cruisers here." Coran admits as he looks at his panel screens.

Everyone looks to Lance questioning, but all he growls out is, "She's not here. She's changing course."

"Where?"

"I'm not sure. I think she jumped again. I can —"

"Three something's are leaving hyperspace." Hunk calls out frantically. 

They turn to look out in front of them and in the glare of the new sun Lotor's ships fall out of hyperspace. Shiro's about to call for them to get to their Lions and most of them are already going when the hailing frequency rings throughout the bridge.

"It's Lotor." Coran mutters darkly.

"Don't answer it!" Romelle turns around, eyes angry and pleading, but as the frequency begins to resound through again Allura frowns.

"Answer it."

Coran nods grimly and patches the Galra prince through to a room of angry looks, but Lotor smiles graciously towards them all before focusing his attention on the princess.

"Allura. We need not fight today. I've come to talk and —"

"The only talking you're going to be doing is with the business end of my baya—"

"Lance!"

Allura snaps at him before standing and walking forward. In her mind this battle of wits was between her and Lotor and no one else. 

"I know what you all must think of me now that you know my past. It doesn't have to change our future together. The truth is, I want to harness the power of the quintessence field to better the universe, just like I said. Nothing has changed." He offers unbelievably cold to what has caused at the expense of others.

"You enslaved countless Alteans. Harnessed their life source for your own personal gain and you think nothing's changed? How many innocent lives did you destroy?"

"Allura, I —"

"How many?"

"It's true. Many Alteans perished in my quest to unlock the mysteries of quintessence. But I protected thousands more, and I rescued their culture, our culture —"

Shiro looks to Keith and he nods back in understanding, walking away to his elevator with Hunk and Pidge following soon after, but thankfully not launching yet, still holding onto the element of surprise. Until the time was right they sat here listening to Lotor spill softened lies like the snake he is.

" — Surely, you can see the greatness we've already accomplished. There's still more to come. Join me. We're on the same side."

"No, we're not!" Allura shouts showing her anger for the first time.

Lotor looks down patronizingly as he says softly, "Allura. You and I hold the ancient knowledge of our Altean culture. We were meant to be together. My feelings for you are true. I know you have feelings for me as well."

"You betrayed and used me. You're more like Zarkon than I could have imagined."

Lotor's face immediately darkens with malice as he glares down at her for the comparison.

"What about your father? He may have been a master engineer, but Alfor was too weak to defend his home world. I'm the one who had to step up and save our entire race. Who are you to question my tactics in bringing peace and prosperity to the universe?" He questions her loudly, starting to sound as unhinged as he spoke revealing who he really was.

"Someone who knows and values the lives of others in spite of the greater gain," Lance says boldly and completely calm, "Someone who sees the bigger picture. You're wrong and your plan is over Lotor. Your gate is destroyed and we know the true you. We will never join you and we will never stop fighting you."

The sereneness of Lance's posture gave nothing away as he criticizes and rejected Lotor on everything. Lotor's scowl turns more fierce the more Lance speaks, but the moment he's done Lotor looks struck for a split second before he regains his princely façade. A deceitful mask they now know.

"I'm sorry to hear that," He says almost diplomatically before ruining it by commanding his soldiers to fire on the Castle.

"Coran! Shields!" Shiro shouts. 

And as the ship rocks violently Allura and Lance slides over to their elevators and Shiro grips the side of his chair as he tells Coran to fire the barrage hoping to give the team enough time to form Voltron. 

* * *

In a flash of white light a robot the same size as Voltron appears in front of their view screen to the surprise and dread of everyone.

"What is that thing?" Pidge questions in shock over the comms.

"He's created his own Voltron." Lance answers him.

"That is why he was using me. I helped him build it." Allura whispers angrily.

"Well, the good news is it's now five on one."  Hunk tries to see the glass half full, but in an unknown situation like this Shiro can't see how they're at an advantage.

"Well it's about to be one on one. For— AGH!"

"Keith!" The all call out as Lotor's Voltron seems to teleport in front of the Black Lion and smack it away with a whip of its tail.

And Shiro and the others can only watch in despair as Lotor batters them about. One of the ships by itself damaged the fourth thruster and two of the spectral generator for the laser defenses were out. They weren't dead in space, but they couldn't do much. As they watch the team try to get the upper hand the see them fail time and time again, hearing their grunts and screams of pains.

"No." Romelle whispers as she watches the screen as a blur of purple keeps attacking the Lions.

"Coran? Can we get a good shot off - just a warning one - enough to let them form Voltron?" Shiro asks desperately turning to the Altean as he types furiously across his control panel.

"No! The spectral generator are our focusors and they have been ruptured. I would need to fix it and reset the system." 

"That's time we don't have!" Krolia barks as Keith takes a particularity bad hit careening into a piece of space debris.

"There has to be another way! There has to be. They just need to be faster." Shiro says frantically to himself as he grips the Black Paladin chair in front of him.

And in doing so he realizes Black would have the answer. They had the ability that could throw Lotor balance. He doesn't know if the connection has changed, but he reaches out and is immediately bombarded with pain and rage from being bested by this upstart prince.

"Black, Keith needs your help. You have to let him try." He whispers to himself, but can feel his bond with Black thrumming with acknowledgment.

'It may be too much and it will injure us both leaving the team more vulnerable.'

"You trusted him before and now. He can handle it. Please do it again."

When he gets no push back he knows, just knows, Black agrees with him.

"Keith?! Keith can you hear me?!"

With a grunt Keith's comm turns into his image as he looks over at him, pissed off and exhausted.

"Loud and clear Shiro." He huffs.

"You need to use your bayard. It's the only way to clear a way to form Voltron."

"What? Oh!"

And as Keith's eyes turn away to where Shiro knows where the bayard port is Shiro knows he has the gist of what he's supposed to do. They all watch on the screen as Black's booster open into a majestic pair of glowing blue wings and shoot forward with its jaw blade swiping pass Lotor several times in a blur, enough to leave a scratch or two and to severely disoriented him. It gives the team plenty of time to form Voltron and they immediately leap into the fight again, matching Lotor on par.

"They did it!" Romelle cries out hugging Coran tightly.

"And with Lotor kept busy we can fix the Castle. Coran tell us what to do." 

Shiro may not be the best help with only one arm, but he'd be damned if he didn't try.

 

The dark form of Lotor's Sincline ships slipped pass Lance's swipe again infuriating him more, but no more than anyone else and especially Pidge who was blocking another power hit from the robot, screaming as she does.

"How the _hell_ is he moving so _fucking_ fast!" She spits in rage as they take a hit to their right side.

Lance only barely blocks the double swords from cutting through them holding it strong and trying to push back. Allura is quick enough this time to kick out at Lotor pushing him back, but it doesn't last for long. Using it's tail it wraps around the right foot and pulls it with it own momentum and spins around at an impressive speed before tossing them aside into an asteroid.

"It's from the quintessence field." Allura tells her as her and Hunk launch them out of the way at the last second so Lotor would collide into the surface and they could get away.

"Ugh! Is there somewhere we can hit the ship and get rid of it!" Keith yells as they take another shot at Lotor with Hunk's multishot cannon.

But he somehow still dodges the attack, even forming Voltron hadn't given them the advantage they thought they would gain as he stayed on par with them and even surpassed them. 

"How do we stop this? There has to be a way to stop him from using the quintessences or like return it, right?" Hunk asks over the comms and both Lance and Allura have the same epiphany.

"Hunk, you're a genius!"

"Hunk, that's brilliant!"

"Thanks, but why right now?"

But before either one of them could answer Lotor is barring down on them with his swords again causing them to be on the defensive as he pushes them back into a asteroid field, luckily and unluckily for them. While Lotor can't see them behind some of the bigger debris he is moving faster than their sensors can pick up. Hiding in an impressive hole Lance and Allura explain quickly why Hunk is a brilliant genius.

"We what?" Keith looks back at him over the screens dubiously.

"We drain his energy from his robot like how I took Shiro's essence from Black and transferred it to into the clone to save Shiro."

"Only this time we keep the transferred energy and use it to our advantage to fight Lotor." Allura tells him.

"But didn't Lance pass out for like four and a half days when he did it last time?" Pidge pipes up as they check the perimeter and move to another asteroid.

"Yea, but I won't be doing all of it this time."

"With my knowledge from Oriande I know what to do, and I can definitively channel something of this scale. Lance?"

"I'll create the seal. Just focusing all your energy on getting the quintessence back." Lance grins at his sister's equally determine smirk.

"What do we need to do?" Keith asks them.

"We need a clear shot," Allura tells him grimly, "I'm going to have to provoke him."

But instead of them acting as bait and taking more damage the Castle radio's in telling them they were flight and somewhat fight-worthy again. Keith has them loop around the way they came and flying back to the Castle to draw Lotor out. He sees them as they make their 'escape' and follows closing in on them much faster then they wanted as they also had to dodge most of his blasts. But it puts them right where they want him as they shoot up and as Lotor makes to follow the Castle fires, knocking Lotor almost back to the debris field. Flying in front of him a good distance away they stop as Allura calls him, luring him into their trap.

"Give up Lotor. You've failed and we will not allow you to continue what you've done. We will not fall!"

"But you will princess. I will prevail and once I wipe out Voltron, I'm going to start a new Altea."

"Then it will not be a true Altea because you are not a true Altean! You halfbreed!" Allura shouts and the silence before his screams of rage are just a terrifying as he charges towards them.

"It will! It will be an Altea that will never know of Princess Allura, Prince A'lanor, and definitely not of King Alfor! Nor will they know of the Lions of Voltron! All they'll know is me, their great leader! All realities will fall to my new Altean Empire!"

Lotor laughs maniacally at his own horrific plans as he shoots forward at blinding speed and fires a blast of concentrate quintessence right at them. But Lance and Allura are ready. Leaving themselves exposed a large Altean casting circle encompasses Voltron's chest only for it to glow brightly and gain three other rotating parts as the blast hits them dead center. It's still rough on them, though the hit was more like a rough push then a punch. As Lotor continues to fire on Voltron it begins to glow a vibrant blue and white as it soon starts dragging energy out as well as dispersing the beam into Voltron's reserves. It's only when Lotor realizes that Voltron is still intact that he knows he's been had, and at that point its too late.

 

"Ah-ha! Now it's a fair fight!" Coran crows happily as they watch Voltron drain the Sincline ships of their pure quintessence.

But Shiro sees Krolia shaking her head and turning towards her she says something that Shiro knows to be true.

"A fight with a Galra is never fair." 

And they watch as Lotor flies down and the team goes after him only to pull away and dodge a piece of debris coming toward them. They may have stopped the process, but their power levels were off the charts as they continue to shine brightly against the nebula's florescent clouds. They aren't patched in to the comms like the team is, but Lotor's deranged screams can be hear over the Paladins' feed.

"I will not lose to you!"

And as he rushes forward Pidge easily punches him and fires at him. Hunk quickly follows it up by creating the shoulder cannon and firing on him with a single shot until he crashes into a dead planetoid below them. The team soar down to him, feet first, dropping the weight of Voltron and then some into the other robot pushing it further into the surface. Coran hurriedly takes them closer and zooms in on the screens to see what will happen next and they see Lance draws the sword, burning with orange and blue flames, and raises it overhead.

"I told you this would happen." Lance snarls viciously over the comms and plunges the flaming sword straight through Lotor's robot.

It slides through effortlessly only to cause a spectacular explosion that blinds them all as not only Voltron is blown back, but a large portion of the planetoid they were on is blown back as well.

"Shields!" Shiro yells to Coran and he's already on it.

The silence of it made it all the more striking as Shiro and everyone is rocked by the shockwaves as the explosion hits the Castle. When the floor beneath them stops shaking and the lights die down Shiro is rushing to the main panel and calling out for his friends. Seconds pass like hours before he hears the mumbles and grunts of pains over their comms that has has everyone sighing in relief.

* * *

"He's dead." Krolia checks in and the tone on the bridge is victorious with weirdly a touch of somber as Lotor had started to ingrain himself in their lives in different ways. 

After everyone got back in Krolia went out to check that they wouldn't have anymore trouble and according to her finding Lotor attempted to eject, but wasn't fast enough and with the flaming sword destroying systems faster the pod release with the explosion and destroyed not only the glass but also his helmet.

Prince Lotor of the Galra Empire was officially gone.

With that knowledge this left only one other threat, or so Shiro thought as he watches Pidge, Lance, Keith, and Hunk huddle around Pidge's screen talking about possible ways Haggar might have taken since Lance spent the past twenty minutes trying to find her with no leads despite their multiple run-ins. In an instant a memory is being pulled to the front of his mind and he relives it in an out of body experience where he sees himself adding coordinates to the main server.

Coalition base coordinates.

"We have a problem." Shiro gasps as he snaps out of the memory.

_I hope remembering isn't always like that._

"What's wrong?" Allura walks down the steps to him.

"I'm fairly sure the clone left coordinates about the coalition and Blade bases. They asked to see the records ro-"

"The trip to center command!" Coran cries out as he turns toward everyone, his face becoming more distressed by second, "I didn't even notice."

"It's fine Coran. You weren't suppose to. Remember. Spy." 

"So we need a plan get in and erase all of the locations." Lance says as he stands up straight from the huddle.

Krolia folds her arms and glares at the ground as she voices that it was imperative that they retrieve the coordinates. Sadly in a very human, very American way.

"We have to because if not, we'll be in hotter water than a goat's butt in a pepper patch in the middle of July." Krolia says in a monotonous voice not realizing what she had done. 

As soon as it's said Shiro knows there is going to be some explaining and watches as everyone's eyes grow twice the size as normal as they stare at Krolia in pure confusion as they try to understand what she just said.

"Yeah we'll really be up a creek like an armadillo rollin' down a hill." Keith says unrepentant, looking very thoughtful of the situation.

That has everyone whipping around to stare at Keith. Lance and Pidge lean back to peer at him, squinting and frowning, looking very hurt and lost. Hunk is actually whispering 'what' to himself as he looks at the Paladin next to him and Allua and Coran look completely lost as well.

'What's happening?" Allura mouths to him, looking truly scared.

"Good thing this isn't our first rodeo." Krolia interjects to which Keith nods as if their exchange made logically sense and as Lance frown harder as he tries to understand what is happening Shiro is afraid his face might get stuck that way.

Blinking at the Red Paladin he takes a couple moments to try and say something, but settles on, "I'm sorry? What?"

"They've done this a couple of times." Romelle speaks up from her spot on the stairs looking very bored with the situation and Shiro can't help finding this a little funny.

"I think my ears are bleeding." Lance hisses as Hunk nods along.

Pidge goes through similar facial expression as Lance before just blurting out, "What?"

"What?" Keith looks down at her.

"What do you mean 'what'? You just said something that —"

"His father was Texan." Shiro decides to tell everyone and Hunk and Pidge make a face of recognition while the Alteans look more perplex.

Lance looks over in confusion to Shiro, but he mouths back that he'll explain later and tells them what Krolia and Keith had really meant, "Basically everything will be jeopardizes if we don't take care of this immediately before the empire finds out what happened to Lotor."

Shiro remembers when he first got to know Keith and he didn't talk much, but as he opened up Shiro noticed something about how he talked. Especially when he would get very worked up about something or he wasn't paying attention to everyone else. Not only was he naturally quiet like that, but when he has his moments his accent would show through just a bit. Most of it was gone, but the colloquialisms made themselves present at the most random times so he tried to keep silence because it was easier to blend into the background if he sounded like everyone else and not have another thing different about him.

"You did that on purpose." Shiro whispers as they gather around a hologram of Central Command.

"Got them to loosen up a bit." Keith smirks.

And Shiro has a moment of pride at Keith realizing when their team needed something like a change of pace since they had been going hard for the past hour.

_I knew I made the right decision._

"I think you gave them an aneurysm." Shiro tells him honestly and smiles, shaking his head when all Keith does is shrug.

Going over the extensive plans they have of Central Command they find that the highest point on the east side of the structure has the easiest entrance, but the records room is down sixteen floors opposite on the west side. They would need to expertly and stealthy get through and the best people for the job were; Keith for his skill and Galra DNA, Lance for any magical help, and Pidge to implement the program. She changed the base of the one Lance used to get rid of the clones to delete the points and from all the systems connected to it.

"Perfect time for the [stealth](https://goo.gl/images/rBZD4q) suits again." Coran says happily as he looks around shiftly.

"Again?" Pidge looks up from where she's sitting on the floor with her laptop coding out the last of the virus.

"Wait. We have stealth suits?!" Lance leans around Shiro with an arched look.

"Oh! .....I just assumed you knew when you went. You've never been caught before." Coran awkwardly shrugs at his explanation.

"Coran stealth suits?!"

Coran turns to Keith and reaches over to takes hold of his right hand and pulls up his gauntlet menu and after scrolling pass a few pages and taps a something that changes every white piece of armor black and the red goes maroon. The lights on the side of his collar turned from blue to grey and the helmets follow suit as well.

"This will definitely help us. So we can jump to the system outside of Command and fly Green the rest of the way and land on the outside."

"And how would you get inside?" Krolia asks.

"I'm not too tired for a jump," Lance tells her, "I can get us in and easily hidden." 

"And if you're too tried to get us back we have a back-up." Keith says secretly.

"We do?" Hunk questions as everyone looks to him.

Keith walks over to where his wolf is laying next to the Red Paladin seat and crouches next to him, "Show them what you can do."

The wolf lifts his head and blinks before popping out of existent and appearing next to Pidge who turns slowly to come face to face with the wolf and gets a lick to her face before he pops back over to Keith.

"You have the coolest pet." Hunk whispers gleefully.

"Okay so we have most of this down so we’ll finalize as we go. It will take us a half an hour, correct?" Shiro glances over to Allura for an answers.

"Yes."

"Perfect now —"

"Wait! Just wait. You’ve just fought Lotor. Twice. And defeated him this time. Found out that that your friend has been a clone until four quintants ago when the Prince took his consciousness from the Black Lion of Voltron and put it inside his clone. And also found out this clone has jeopardized your coalition and now you’ve just planned a way to sneak onto an enormously large vessel like it’s nothing. You’re just simply going to move on? Again? Just like that? Is this regular?" Romelle questions, though it's more to herself as she goes step by step about what happened with the ridiculous hand motions and looking more and more stressed.

Everyone looks to each other before turning to her with sheepish smiles nodding affirmatively to Romelle's growing distress.

"But how?! I mean surely you can take a moment- or, or ask someone else?! I - I don't understand?" She sighs mournfully as she bends over at the waist as a statement to how exhausted she was.

"Trust me, I’m always saying the exact same thing but these guys like to move on. It's their thing," Hunk laments as he walks over to pat her shoulder in understanding, "Lets go get you a milkshake and I'll tell you about all the other times we didn't take a rest before we did something insane."

As Shiro watches them leave he thinks back to how the time they did take breaks were far and few between, but that was because everything was a singular mission with many parts. And though down time was rare it was treasured. But with the Coalition's safety on the line there was no time, they need to take action now or face the consequences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because damn it Dreamworks the Castle is still alive! Treat Allura like the Queen she is and let her have her Castle!!!!
> 
> Also I have made the executive decision that Lotor is dead. If he comes back in season 8 like the trailer suggest (I really think Allura is reliving some nightmare or something) then oh well he's staying dead. He had his time in the universe, but his stylish ass had to go.


	14. There and back again

In the low light of the Galran stronghold maroon, evergreen, and indigo move swiftly in between sentry and guard patrols followed only by the soft footfalls of a four legged creature. Ducking behind wall and teleporting across intersections the team move quickly into depth of the massive ship. They came to the records room the was surprisingly unguarded. Before Keith got them in Lance changes his bayard into his rifle, using the scoop he can see through the metal to know that six Galra and two sentries were in the room at the moment.

"So what's the plan Keith?" Lance ask as he turns his darken visor to their leader.

The completely blacken glass of the space helmet turns to him and then down to his wolf in thought.

"Okay, so there are eight enemies and we don't want any damage to the computers or our plan won't work. Close range weapons, and make sure the don't sound the alarms. Pidge, I need you to tase the sentries at the far end before helping us. We'll take out the soldiers." Keith says as he forms his sword.

"What about the wolf?" Lance asks looking down at Keith's companion.

He seems to know too because he looks up and sniffs disapproving at him.

"He'll be fine. You going to be okay with that sword?" Keith asks and Lance can hear the smirk and challenge in his voice.

Forming the broadsword he spins it around in his hand, "Better than you think."

"Alright enough with the measuring contest we've got to go." Pidge hisses at them.

They couldn't see her face, but enough time spent with Pidge told them her face was very displeased with them and their competitiveness.

"Right."

"Got it."

Pidge walks over to stand in front of the door ready to be the first one in and as soon as Keith touches the control pad Pidge burst forward stabbing and tasing one sentry in the side and then shooting her grappler at the other and pulling it towards her before running at it and sliding underneath it dodging the laser blasts and tripping it so she could short circuit it. He, Keith, and his nameless wolf charge the other Galra soldiers and cut through their blasters and dispatching them with ease. Their score is tied though because the wolf took out two soldiers too. With everyone down Lance and Keith convene where Pidge is already starting the virus, but also looking up something else.

"What are you doing?" Lance looks over her shoulder.

"I want to know where the highest concentrations of insurgents are because they'll be our first problem once everyone finds out we killed Lotor." Pidge tells them as she continues to type.

"Smart idea."

"As always."

As she does that he and Keith turned to the door to protect Pidge, but it's not long before something happens.

"Quiznak!" She hisses and has them running back to her.

"What?" Lance asks as he leans over her shoulder.

"When I was looking up Sendak it showed that he still has access to the database and well..."

Pidge had been learning Galran from him and Keith had mention that the Blade was teaching him the language too, and as they read what was listed all three wish they couldn't. Sendak had not only been accumulating forces since their last encounter a phoeb ago and at it's current number was too massive to take on by one team, but has also gathered the coordinators for Earth.

"What do we do?" Pidge's dark visor looks back and has Lance looking to Keith as he does too.

"Pidge get a copy of what he has now and we've got to get this back to the others."

Plugging herself into the system and copying the information of what Sendak has the virus continues to work and finishes in five more doboshes. They quickly sneak back to Green and when they were far enough from Galra command so they can't pick up their signal they call the Castle to let them know what they do. 

"So now what?" Hunk questions as everyone looks at each other, not sure what their next action should be. 

They couldn't just leave the Coalition without their strongest force, but Earth was in no position to be ready for something of this scale and they didn't know how long they would be gone. This wasn't a conquering force, this was an annihilation force with the only end being the complete destruction of his friends' home.

"So lets meet him on a level playing field."

Focusing on Shiro he stares down at the floor before looking up to address them stiffly, "We know our solar system better then anyone and we have the advantage of knowing he's coming so we meet him there and finish him off."

"Shiro is right."

Allura agrees and Lance is surprise. He was already set on going to Earth to help out the Humans and assumed Allura would give more thought to it before deciding to go to Earth as well. But with the similarities so close to Altea she probably didn't want to wait. Didn't want to lose a planet they could save.

"Sendak is likely going to use this as a demonstration of his power and away to terrify others into submission. If he can destroy the Paladin's planets whose to say we can protect others. We cannot let him destroy the hope that has just started to spread throughout the universe." Allura says commanding the space as she looks to everyone with a determined eyes.

"So we're going home? We're finally going home?" Pidge asks quietly and voice filled with joy.

"I wish it was under better circumstances," And as Shiro looks to Allura and Coran they nod in agreement, "Yeah. Team we're going home."

"Oh I can't wait!" Hunk shouts excitedly already listing out what he would do as soon as he gets home and Lance smiles at the shy and bright smiles of the Humans at the prospect of finally going home.

"Neither can I, but we can't leave yet." Shiro reminds him.

"We have to inform the Coalition and Blade, it's likely most will want to move their bases or fortified them and we need to let them know we won't be here to help them for a time." Lance says and thinks about how the Coalition will be on their own for the first time. He knows that they're strong, but he's still worried.

"Lance is right. The moment you dock we'll make for Olkarion." Allura tells them.

  
The quintant had been exhaustively longer than any she had ever known. 

Allura rubs at her tried eyes more than once before the convoy elevator lands on Olkarion soil. They had called for all the Coalition to tune into their secret frequency so they could tell all the planets and bases what has happened. 

_Urgh. Just thinking about this makes me feel sick._

"Hey."

Looking to Lance she sees him looking just as tired as her, but concern taking over his sleepy visage. Reach out to grab her hand he gives it a comforting squeeze and a reassuring smile.

"Lulu it's going to be fine."

She can't help the frown that twist her face at his encouraging, but untruthful words.

"Is it though Lance? I - I've put everything into jeopardy with me trusting -" She hisses sharply in despair only for Lance to sweep her into a hug stopping her sentence. 

"Allura. Every leaders make mistakes. The good ones own up, while the bad ones assign blame. If they plan on following you they need to realize your a person just like them." He whispers into her ear as he holds her tight.

Returning the hug she squeezes tight as she lays her head down on his shoulder in quiet contemplation. Father had said something similar and sure she did hear backlash, but in the end the moral of the people was regained with his honesty and his willingness to correct what had been done.

"You'll stand by my side?"

"It was never a question."

Standing before the Coalition, even though she could not see them, was as nerve wracking as she assumed. She looked to Lance who stood off to the side, but smiled proudly at her and and even though it felt like she couldn't she knew she could. All leader have these moments of doubt and Father told her she and Lance would encounter them one day, but not to worry. That when you are uncertain that the true show of leadership is how you work though it and let your allies help you. So standing tall and believing in her Father's lessons she gives the go ahead to the Olkari at the controls to broadcast.

She tells them of how she and the team were betrayed and have battled and defeated Lotor. How in trusting the prince the locations of bases were found out and while purged from the Galra database they can't be sure. She apologizes for her lack of discretion in keeping them safe as well as them having to leave for a far off galaxy that will be attack, the Paldain's home, by Sendak's growing fleet. She ask for forgiveness and to tell them to be safe and stay strong. That they are a force to be reckon with and should not cower while they are away. They will return to the fight and when they do she cannot wait to see what improvements have been done. 

When she is finally done it feels as if not only a great relief has been taken of her shoulders, but also a crushing weight on her chest. It's bittersweet, but she knows it was the right thing. The Coalition's main hub of information circulates through Okalrion and in no time planets are offering aid to help move or relocate bases or ramping up the manufacturing for defenses. This brings a smile to her face as she watches the correspondence between the alliance and knows that they will be strong enough and they will survive. And just knowing that Allura can rest easy.

Now she must take care of her other mission. Sending Lance back to the ship with the excuse she needed some time to herself Allura quickly sets about looking for Ryner only for her to find her as she peeks down a hallway.

"You've done well Princess. Very strong words and a soft delivery, I'm sure everyone was impressed." The smaller Olkari grins up at her.

"Thank you Ryner. And you were just who I was looking for."

"Yes Princess Allura?" She looks up questioningly, her large eye narrowing.

"I'm sorry to ask for more help after leaving you with a problem I created, but -"

"Princess Allura," Ryner cuts her off gently before looking up at her softly, not as a fellow leader, but as a friend, "You have done more good than this one wrong decision, but I won't see you any different than before. You are still hurting from so much this was a possibility. I am disappointed in the development, but I will try to have the others see you the same as always. A strong and courageous leader. A hope to the universe. We understand just go save their home. What is the point of being able to wield Voltron and not protecting what you hold most dear?" She tells her sincerely.

Allura gasps in awe at her touching words and can only whisper her name in shock.

"What is it that you need?" Ryner asks politely.

"I wished to procure some materials to build a prosthetic, with sensations. Shiro refuses to take back the Galra arm, for obvious reasons, and I want him to, to—"

"Give him back something he lost. Yes, I can help with that and since you won't be staying here I get the non-vegetation ones." She tells her with a smile.

"Thank you Ryner. For everything. We'll try to be back as soon as we can."

It luckily doesn't take long, as the Olkari do a system checks of the Castle before they make their long trip and can easily sneak it into the Castle where Allura places the five boxes of parts in her closet. Ryner gave her more than enough and hopefully with Sam Holt's help when they get to Earth Shiro will have a new arm within the first weeks back.

 

"Well you took us away it's only polite you take us back." Keith calls over to Lance as he just sits down.

He was leaning against Pidge's chair since his wolf seems to be partial to the young girl while everyone else was waiting for Coran to finish putting in the coordinates for the Milky Way and initiates the gate stabilizer.

Shiro watches as Lance rolls his eyes good-naturedly and sighs dramatically as he stands from the Red Paladin chair.

"I guess it would be the right thing to do."

Elegantly strutting up to the Teludav platform Allura relinquishes her spot with an exaggerated bow and goes to stand nearby Romelle. 

"It will take us is about two movements to get to your little blue orb —" Coran starts only for Pidge to cut him offf.

"How? We got to the Castle the first time within minutes."

"There's a special beacon that manipulates more power to create a more streamline portal and is only used in emergency, like reforming Voltron, where there are another set of portals inside the original to boost the speed of the craft to get it quicker to the Castle."

"I think Sendak counts as an emergency." Hunk says from the back.

"Yes, well with Sendak still gaining allies and them trying to jump from his last know position it will take him about a year to a year and a half to get to your system."

"Are you sure about that? The last time you finger counted Sendak was on us in two vargas instead of quintants." Pidge reminds him.

"Quite sure this time number four," Coran puffs out his chest and maybe even his mustache in pride as he declares, "The fluffy hooligan won't get the best of me again."

With a low whistle Shiro looks back to an impressed Hunk, "So we have the greater advantage all around."

"We'll need it too if we want to stop him."

Keith says seriously and everyone quiets at the thought of Earth being under such a threat. Shiro's sure they've all thought it, but for it to be happening is something completely different.

With Coran giving Lance the go ahead a Teludav portal opens in front of them and as they begin traveling towards it Shiro feels his skin buzzing with excitement and his stomach flipping in terror. For the first time in three years he was going home – really home – and was going to have to deal with the consequences of leaving in the first place. And though he was brave he didn't want to think about seeing Adam again with how they had ended things and he really didn't want to face his family again for all the pain he'll bring back with his 'death' being wrong. But the thought of seeing them again, regardless of why, sends tingles up his spine in anticipation for getting the chance to see them all again. As soon as they're through and the ship starts to move faster and Shiro knows they're caught in the gravity of the wormhole and will be sailing smoothly from now until they come to Earth.

"Alright team this a break for all of us. De-stress and relax because when we get home we'll have a lot to do to prepare."

"I am so ready to hit the sack. This has been one of the craziest quintants ever. " Pidge remarks as Keith helps her up and they slowly walk out.

"Wow. It has only been one day hasn't it?" Hunk yawns and stretches and Shiro winces as he hears his back pop from where he is.

Allura walks across the bridge to where Romelle is sitting on the steps and reaches out for her, "Come Romelle. I'll show you to the free room across from mine." And taking her hand leads her away.

Shiro turns to the front, ready to sit for a couple of hours before turning in himself, but sees a smirking Korlia and a disappointed Coran. Before Shiro can even ask 'what's the matter' Coran is holding a hand out to stop him from asking his question.

"Ah-buh-buh-buh. You've been through more then most of us, if anyone needs to de-stress it's you. Go. You're not needed here." Coran waves his hand signaling for Shiro to make himself scarce.

"I'm sure we can hold down the fort for a couple of hours. There's not much you can do here Shiro. Relax." Krolia smiles his way, just like his mother would when she was trying to calm his nerves.

And before he can say anything to the contrary someone grabs his hand. Looking back he sees Lance smiling fondly up at him in a way that told him Lance knew he was going to stay here and possibly plan for Sendak's future attacks while everyone was resting.

"Everyone means you too." Lance smiles cheekily at him as he gives his hand a quick squeeze. 

Shiro feels the once building strain peter out as his gaze softens as he glances down at Lance in adoration.

_I love him so much._

And he wasn't afraid to say it either. Letting himself be gently lead off of the bridge Shiro can't help but think out of everything that had happened or he expected to happen that love would be one of them. He wished for home and stability multiple time, but never to fall in love again. And against all odds here was Lance glancing back every so often with a soft loving smile. Likely how he was gazing back at Lance. Life truly was an odd mess of experiences, but he is glad for the moment with Lance that led him to opening his heart again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They're finally going home!!! 
> 
> The first chapter of 'But you are my Happily Ever After.' will be posted on December 17th because I'll need a short hiatus and a chance to calm down from the final season (This is for all of you readers as well). This story will then follow a weekly update instead of biweekly one so look for a new chapter every Saturday.  
> See you then!


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